Of UNO and Thunderstorms
by Meepalicious
Summary: It was just a summer kick-off sleepover and we were playing UNO when that damn thunderstorm started. Now, the Fellowship of the Rings is stuck in our world, more specifically MY HOUSE! How will they react to being in a different world? How will they put up with me, my crazy friends and my sister? Oh, and my dog. Will we find a way to get them home? Read and find out!
1. Chapter 1

Nothing ever goes according to plan during a thunderstorm…

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS! I ONLY OWN OLYMPIA AND KATE! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES!**

**WARNING: RATED T BECAUSE OF FIGHTING, VIOLENCE, POSSIBLY ROMANCE AND BECAUSE MY FRIENDS AND I HAVE POTTY MOUTHS. ALSO, THIS IS SLIGHTLY AU FOR THE FIRST FEW CHAPTERS AND PROBABLY SOMEWHAT OOC AS WELL. DON'T KILL ME! **

**Author's note: Welcome to my new fanfiction! I am Meepalicious! This fanfiction is going to be a self insert, just a heads up. Hopefully, this won't be one of those typical 'Fellowship magically arrives on Earth' stories. The original characters in this story are strongly based on real people so I don't want to hear any Mary Sue shit. By the way, a good majority of this will be from Olympia or Kate's POV. This is because Olympia is me and Kate is my own character so it will be easiest to write from these points of view. READ AND REVIEW!**

****Chapter One

Olympia's POV

I was lying upside down on my couch with my elbow length dirty blonde hair sprawled across the bottom of the couch and some of the floor. My two best friends were sitting on either side of me on the floor. We were playing UNO in my living room/basement during our sleepover at mine and my twenty two year old sister's house as our way of celebrating our high school graduation. A summer thunderstorm was raging through our small town in New York. Francesca put down a blue skip card, causing me to miss my turn. "Damn you." I whispered, trying to juggle my seventeen cards. Francesca rolled her brown eyes and pushed her glasses back up her nose. Natalie put down her final card, thus winning the game. "WOOT!" she yelled. I glared at her with my green eyes and she stuck her tongue out at me. "What do you want to do now?" Francesca asked, pushing some of her slightly wavy shoulder length dark brown hair out of her face. Natalie shrugged and I tried to sit up on the couch, failing and falling on Natalie. "What the hell Kochie?" she gave me a look and used my last name. "I fell off the couch, sue me." I ruffled her straight, mid back length sandy blonde hair and she glared at me with her hazel eyes.

"Who wants to watch a movie?" Francesca asked. "Me! The Awesome Prussia wants to watch a movie!" I answered. "What about you Germany?" Francesca turned to Natalie and used the Hetalia nickname we'd given her. "Francey Pants, do you really need to ask that?" Natalie raised an eyebrow. In case you were wondering, we'd all given each other Hetalia nicknames. I was Prussia and Romano, Francesca was France, Natalie was Germany and my sister Kate was England and Italy. "What movie are we watching then?" I asked, getting my glasses case from its spot on the shelf of my living room and putting my glasses on. "We should watch Lord of the Rings!" Francesca shouted. "Yes!" Natalie and I chorused. "Should we wait for your sister to come back from walking the dog?" Natalie wondered. "Nah, she won't mind." I waved my hand dismissively and walked across the room to our wide screen T.V. and put the extended edition of The Fellowship of the Ring into the DVD player. "Natalie, can you get some popcorn please?" I smiled sweetly at my friend. Natalie groaned and went to the kitchen. I turned the air conditioner on and settled down on the couch. Francesca sat down at the turning point of our couch. My couch had a small turn in it and the piece turned so the rest of the couch came away from the wall. Natalie came back a few minutes later. "Popcorn delivery for Lord of the Rings nerds!" she smiled and sat down. I hit the 'play' button and the movie started.

But of course, nothing ever goes to plan very long where my friends and I are concerned. Right after the Fellowship was formed the T.V. started flickering to black and finally settled on almost deafening static. "What the bleep on a bleep sandwich with bleep on top and a side order of bleep is that?" Natalie exclaimed. "Do you have enough bleep in that meal?" I commented sarcastically. "No I don't think she does." Francesca smiled. "Oh shut it you two or I'll - NO! Blue screen of death!" Natalie stopped mid threat and stared at the T.V. I looked and saw that the screen had turned electric blue. "Nyeegh. What do we do now?" I groaned. "I don't freaking know!" Francesca flailed her arms in the air. "Try throwing something at it!" Natalie suggested. "I don't think that's going to work." I told her. She shrugged. Then, there was a loud clap of thunder and all the lights turned off for a minute. "You've got to be shitting me!" I yelled. "And this is why we called you Romano." Natalie said. "Bastard." I muttered. My friends laughed and the lights came back on. "Yay!" I clapped my hands.

"Oh my freaking God!" Natalie exclaimed. "What?" I turned back towards the T.V. It still had the blue screen of death, but now there were nine other people in my living room. Four of them were short and had hairy feet, another one was only a little bit taller and had a red beard, there was one with dark hair, one with strawberry blonde-ish hair, one with a gray hat and a staff and one with long blonde hair and pointy ears. Oh yeah, and they all had weapons. Wait a minute, pointy ears? "What the hell is going on here?" Francesca voiced my exact thought. "How am I supposed to know?" I whispered. "Uh, hi there." Natalie waved at the people. "Who are you?" I asked. The answer hit me before they even had a chance to speak. _They're the Fellowship of the Ring. They all look like their movie counterparts. HOLY SHIT! _"We could ask you the same question." The short guy with the red beard muttered. I glared at him. "I am Gandalf. My companions are Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Meriadoc Brandybuck, Peregrin Took, Aragorn son of Arathorn, Boromir of Gondor, Gimli son of Gloin and Legolas of the Woodland Realm." Gandalf introduced everyone. My friends and I nodded slowly. "Would you be so kind as to tell us your names and where we are?" Gandalf continued. I was the first to recover from the shock. "My name is Olympia Kochie, my friends here are Natalie Gittin," at this I gestured to Natalie, who waved. "and Francesca Adams." I said and pointed at Francesca. "You are now in the United States of America. In relation to Middle Earth, I have no idea where that would be." Francesca told them. I face-palmed, you'll see why in a minute.

"How do you know that we are from Middle Earth?" Aragorn looked skeptically at us. "Oh boy, how are we going to explain this one?" Francesca turned to me and Natalie. "Well you brought it up, so you should explain it." I told her. "In this world, Middle Earth and the people in it are just a story. This story is written in books and also portrayed in movies. Do you follow me so far?" Francesca explained. "What is a movie?" Pippin asked. "Well, do you see that?" I pointed to the T.V. "That is a T.V. and it plays stories on the screen. Almost like a play. Movies are stories that play on the T.V." I said. "We know about Middle Earth because we have watched the movies that were made about it. And Olympia has read the books so she knows more than me and Francesca do." Natalie joined our explanation. "Does that mean that you girls know the future?" Gandalf seemed alarmed. "Yes. But we're not going to tell you about it, because if you know you might do things differently." I crossed my arms. "Thus changing what the future should have been." Natalie added. "Did that make sense?" Francesca asked. "I hope so." I stated. "Now, I know you all must have questions so if you ask, we'll do our best to answer." I told them.

The next half hour or so was spent filling in the Fellowship about everything in our world. "What is that on your face?" Pippin asked at one point. "Pippin don't be rude." Sam scolded him. Natalie, Francesca and I started laughing. Francesca and I took off our glasses and showed them to the Fellowship. "These are called glasses. They help me and Olympia see because we can't see very well." Francesca explained. "I only need them to see distance, like the chalkboards at school. But I also have astigmatism, it makes my vision slightly blurry, so I wear them more than that. Francesca needs them all the time." I told them. "Why can you not see well?" Legolas asked. "I have absolutely no idea. My parents have glasses and so do a lot of people in my family, so I guess it's a genetic thing." I shrugged.

Just then Legolas cocked his head to the side like he was listening to something. "Someone is coming." He said. The Fellowship all get their weapons ready to fight. "No you can out the weapons down." Francesca told them nervously. "My sister's probably coming home from taking my puppy, Bella, for a walk." I explained. Sure enough, the front door opened up and my sister called down the stairs, "I'm home guys. Did you come up with something for dinner?" I bit my lip. We were supposed to come up with dinner ideas while Kate had been out. "Is macaroni and cheese okay with you guys?" I whispered to my friends. Their eyes lit up and they nodded. "Macaroni and cheese for dinner! We have like twenty something boxes. Also, you might want to come downstairs." I called up the stairs to my sister. What, we keep a lot of macaroni and cheese in the house. Bella started barking and she came running down the stairs, Kate following close behind her. Bella skidded to a stop, crashing into Legolas. We laughed. Kate's blue eyes went wide and her jaw went slack. "What the crapola happened here?" she asked, running a hand through her waist length, wavy/curly brown hair. That was one of the similarities between my sister and I, we both had hair that was stuck between wavy and curly.

**Author's note: Woo-hoo, chapter one! Lots of Hetalia references here. I like Hetalia. Did I just leave a cliffhanger? *gasp* I'll start Chapter Two soon so you all don't die of suspense. That would be bad, very bad. Review please! **


	2. Chapter 2

Of UNO and thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES! I ONLY OWN MYSLEF AND MY OCS! **

**WARNING: IF YOU NEED IT IS AT THE BEGINNING OF CHAPTER ONE.**

**Author's note: Chapter Two has arrived! It's special shout out time! Shout out to CandyLovin'Girl111: Thank you for being my first reviewer! You are awesome dude! I don't really have an updating schedule planned out for this story yet because I don't know how much time I'll have come September when school starts again. So, yeah. **

Chapter Two

Olympia's POV

"Well, you see. The T.V. flipped out on us and then the power went out for a little bit. When it came back on, they were here. We don't know how or why. Did it start raining outside or is it still just thundering?" I turned to my sister. "It's still just thundering, but I came back because it looks like rain. What are we going to do with them?" Kate asked. "Well, Natalie and Francesca are staying in one of the guest rooms for the sleepover, so that's out for tonight. Uh, there are two more guest rooms, one of which has two beds and we have a bunch of air mattresses. I'm really thankful you bought a huge house now sis." I smiled sheepishly at my sister. "That is a great idea, but that's not what I meant. I got a big house because friends and family stay over a lot." She chuckled. I pouted and hung my head in mock sadness. "Okay, my name is Kate. I'm going to assume you met my sister and her friends. We've agreed that you can all stay with us until we figure out how to get you home. Oh, and that's Bella. She is our pet Golden Retriever; she won't hurt any of you purposely." Kate looked at our puppy Bella, who was going around and sniffing the Fellowship. She seemed to like Legolas the best as he was scratching behind her ear. "Her teeth are coming in though, so she will chew on a lot of things." I warned them. "So, now what?" Natalie asked. "Food first, it's dinner time. After that, I have no idea." Kate answered. "What kind of food do you have here?" Merry asked. "We have a lot of different kinds of food. Right now, we're going to have macaroni and cheese." I told him. "Olympia and I are going to go make the food; you can come upstairs if you want. Just don't touch anything." Kate told them.

I grabbed a bunch of boxes of Kraft macaroni and cheese and followed Kate upstairs and into the kitchen. "Do you think this is going to be enough?" I asked, putting the boxes down on the counter. "If it's not, we'll make more." Kate shrugged as she got four pots from the cabinet where we kept them. I took two and put them on the stove. "Do you think we got the book verse Fellowship or the movie verse Fellowship?" I asked as we started boiling the water. "Does it matter? I haven't read the books since I was Elena's age." She replied, referring to our thirteen year old cousin. "Yes, it does. I'll go get the book and show you why." I ran upstairs to my bedroom and searched my bookcase for my copy of 'The Two Towers.' Finding it, I did a victory dance and flipped open to the part where Gandalf came back and gave Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli their messages from Galadriel. I ran back to the kitchen and showed the book to my sister. She furrowed her eyebrows and gave me a look. "Just read the message she gives to Legolas." I whispered into her ear. I looked over my sister's shoulder and she read the lines in a voice that was barely a whisper. "'Legolas Greenleaf long under the tree/ In joy thou hast lived. Beware the Sea!/ If thou hearest the cry of the gull on the shore/ Thy heart shall rest in the forest no more.' How would this be a problem?" she asked upon finishing the lines. "Kate, we live on a freaking island. You can't walk two blocks without hearing or seeing at least one seagull." I reminded her. "Shit." She said. "What are we going to do?" I was a little panicked. Kate put her hands on my shoulders. "Calm down. We got the movie verse Fellowship." She told me. "How are you so sure?" I countered. "I don't think Tolkien envisioned Legolas as looking like Orlando Bloom. Hell, Orlando Bloom wasn't even born yet when the books were written. It's all going to be okay. Okay?" she explained. I nodded, ran upstairs and out the book away and then we continued making the food.

"Hey Natalie and Francesca! Can you guys help get bowls and spoons and stuff?" I yelled down the stairs. "Okay!" I heard Francesca yell. A moment later, my friends were up the stairs and rushing around my kitchen, getting out the things we needed. Thirteen bowls, that many napkins and spoons, and some foul language later, we had enough bowls of macaroni and cheese for everyone. "Food's ready!" I yelled as we started bringing the bowls downstairs and handing them out. Somehow everyone had found a seat; whether it was on the couch or one of the beanbags we had lying around. "What kind of food is this?" Pippin asked. "It's called macaroni and cheese. Obviously there's cheese in it." I started to explain. "No shit Sherlock." Natalie whispered from next to me on the floor. "Fuck you Watson." I whispered back. "There's also pasta. It's made out of dough. Try some, it's really good." I said. Pippin and the others slowly tried a spoonful of the food. The eyes of all the hobbits immediately lit up. "This is fantastic!" Pippin exclaimed. My friends, me and a couple other members of the Fellowship chuckled. "I'm glad you like it." Kate smiled. We ate for a while in silence until I remembered we didn't have drinks. "Is anyone thirsty? We have drinks; I just forgot to give them out with the food. Sorry." I told everyone. The responses were all yes, so I dragged Francesca and Kate upstairs to help me get drinks. "Okay, Natalie doesn't drink soda and she told me she wants lemonade." I started, fishing plastic cups out of a cabinet. "Can I have lemonade too?" Francesca asked. "Of course. Do you think we should give them soda? That would probably end badly, but still." Kate asked, starting to get drinks from the fridge. "I think we could give them soda. If they go on a sugar high, we have nerf guns in the storage room." I smiled psychotically. Francesca and Kate both looked slightly afraid, but started laughing. Francesca got trays that we would take the drinks downstairs on and we poured out the drinks. Natalie, Francesca and Kate got lemonade, I got root beer, and the Fellowship all got sprite.

We brought the drinks down and I resumed eating my macaroni and cheese. After we all finished eating, Kate collected the dishes. No one said anything for a minute. Then Francesca screamed loudly, causing everyone to jump and Legolas to cover his ears and shoot Francesca a death glare. "What the hell was that all about?" Natalie asked, laughing. "There was an awkward silence that needed to be broken. I broke it." Francesca crossed her arms over her chest. "By screaming bloody murder?" I raised an eyebrow at her. "Yes." She said. "You scared the bejeezus out of everyone. And if looks could kill, you'd be a smoldering pile of ashes right now." I answered, noting that Legolas was still glaring at her. Francesca shrugged, I rolled my eyes and Natalie shook her head. "Where did Bella go?" Francesca asked. I searched the living room and found my puppy trying to beg the hobbits for some mac and cheese. "Bella, heel." I called. She trotted over and sat by me. The Fellowship looked at me, confused. "Bella doesn't eat people food." I explained looking down at the puppy, who was looking back up at me.

We ate in silence until everyone was finished. "Olympia, I'm going to go feed Bella, okay?" Kate stated, bringing the puppy upstairs. I nodded. "So, how did you all like the macaroni and cheese?" Francesca asked. "It was really good!" Merry answered. "I think it would be a big hit in the Shire. Wouldn't you say, Mr. Frodo?" Sam said. Frodo nodded and agreed with Sam. Then Merry and Pippin remembered that they had something to drink and downed their cups of sprite in one go. "Wow, even I couldn't have done that." I commented. "That's not going to be good for them." Natalie added. "I'm going to give those two five minutes before they're on a sugar high." Francesca smirked. "That gives me at least five minutes to track down my nerf guns!" I stood up and ran into the storage room where we kept the nerf guns. I pulled out Kate's nerf long shot, my nerf shotgun. I left the others, and took apart the long shots because they separated into two each. "Here! We might need them." I told my friends as I gave them each a nerf guns. "Do you have any more?" Natalie asked. "Just in case we start a nerf war." Francesca added. "Of course! There's a bunch more nerf guns in the storage room, including both of your long shots." I told them. "Any reason our nerf guns are at your house?" Natalie asked. "You left them here the last time we had a nerf war." I shrugged. Kate and Bella came back down a few minutes later.

Soon enough, Merry and Pippin were running around my basement on sugar highs. The rest of the Fellowship watched, all of them slightly concerned. "What did I tell you? That only took five minutes!" Francesca reminded us. "Oh shush!" Natalie swatted her arm. "That doesn't really matter right now. We just need to stop them before they break something." I told them as I picked up my nerf gun and shot Pippin in the shoulder, from across the room. Francesca and Natalie laughed and we started shooting Merry and Pippin. "What are these?" Pippin asked, examining the foam and Velcro darts that had stuck themselves to his clothes. "I don't know!" Merry answered. This caused Kate to join our laughter. Merry and Pippin calmed down after about ten minutes of being shot at with the nerf guns. "Now what?" Kate asked. No one answered her, but I smiled and got all the other nerf guns out of the storage room and put them on the floor. "Now, we teach them how to use these and have a nerf war!" I yelled. We passed out all the nerf weaponry to everyone who wanted to play. Gandalf, Sam, and Frodo politely declined our invitation. After we showed them all how to use their assorted weapons and answered their questions, I had another idea. "What if we made this into a game? We'll make teams and play capture the flag!" I smiled deviously. "Why didn't I think of that?" Natalie and Francesca said at the same time. Francesca, using her artistic awesomeness, made makeshift flags out of sticks from the backyard and felt that we had. One was blue and one was green.

"Okay, the rules are very simple. One, if you get hit you're out of the game and you have to go to the jail, which will be the couch. A team mate can come and rescue you from the jail and then you can play again. The whole objective of the game is to get the other team's flag without getting out. Each team is going to get a flag and has to find a place, somewhere in the house to hide their flag. Do you understand?" Natalie explained the game. "We could use the backyard too if we want. Gandalf, Sam and Frodo, would you mind watching over the jail to make sure no one gets out without being rescued by a teammate?" I asked. They all agreed to jail-sit. "Now we need to try and make even teams." Kate said. "Let's see, there are ten of us playing. That makes two teams of five." She continued. "We can't all be on the same team, it wouldn't be fair. So Kate and Olympia can be on a team and Francesca and I will be on another team." Natalie suggested. "Sounds fair, who wants to be on a team with me and Kate?" I asked. No one moved so Kate picked the teams. "Okay, Pippin, Legolas and Aragorn will be on me and Olympia's team. Boromir, Gimli and Merry will be on Natalie and Francesca's team." She said. "Alright, we're all going to have ten minutes to come up with a plan, then we'll meet back here and officially start the game." I told the others as I grabbed the green flag. "Oh, each team needs a captain too." Kate added. The others nodded in understanding. I out my glasses away and ushered my teammates upstairs and into the dining room.

**Author's note: Muahahahahahaha! This nerf war should be interesting! I hope you all liked this. I had a bad case of writer's block this week so the beginning wasn't as good as I'd hoped. Meh. REVIEW PLEASE! **


	3. Chapter 3

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES AND I ONLY OWN OLYMPIA AND KATE!**

**Author's note: What's this? This is Chapter Three! This chapter contains the long anticipated nerf gun war! Yeah, this chapter is total crack; I don't know what the hell I was thinking. Anyways, I'm on a roll! Two chapters in two days! Woo-hoo for summer free time! But it was fun writing, so have fun reading! **

Chapter Three

Olympia's POV

I sat down at the dining room table with my team. "What is our strategy?" Aragorn asked. "Don't we need a captain?" Pippin piped up. "Yes, we do. I volunteer Olympia! She's a really good shot with her nerf gun and she's a ninja." Kate yelled and pointed at me. "What is a ninja?" Legolas furrowed his eyebrows. "I'll explain it later." I laughed. Kate just cracked up. "Now, we need a place to hide the flag and we need a strategy. Does anyone have any ideas?" I changed the subject. "Are we allowed out of doors?" Legolas asked, looking out the window. I smiled, a brilliant idea forming in my mind. "Yes, why?" Kate cocked her head to the side. "We could hide the flag in a tree." I grinned. Legolas gave me a raised eyebrow look. Kate noticed this and laughed. "Was that what you were going to say?" she turned back to the elf. Legolas nodded. "Okay. Now we need a strategy." Kate reminded us. "I've got an idea. Can you guard the flag, Legolas?" I looked at him and he nodded. "Good. Aragorn, I want you to help Legolas and patrol the backyard. Pippin, can you go around the house and shoot people out from the other team?" I turned to the hobbit, who had remained silent. "Yes, I can do that." He answered. "Amazing. Kate and I are going to look for the blue team's flag and shoot people. Got it?" I looked at my team. They all nodded.

"Legolas, come with me. I know a tree we can hide the flag in." I said. Legolas got up and Kate handed him the flag. We went into the backyard. I made sure Aragorn knew where the door was before we left. I led Legolas to a tall tree that I liked to climb. "When someone is up in this tree, it's almost impossible to see them unless they move. Imagine how hard it would be to spot that." I explained, motioning to the flag in his hands. "I imagine that would be very difficult." He agreed. I nodded and Legolas climbed up the tree with more ease than I ever had. "Showoff." I muttered. Legolas laughed from up in the tree. A few minutes later he came down. "Where did you hide it?" I asked. He pointed up to a clump of leaves on the left side of the tree. "I can't see it." I commented. "Is that not the point of hiding it?" Legolas asked. "Yes, that's the point. We should go back in now." I told him. Legolas held the door open for me and we sat back down at the table. "Okay, our ten minutes are up. Should we go back down now?" Kate asked. "Yeah, let's go. " I pointed ahead and we walked back downstairs.

I sat down in a beanbag chair near the couch and looked at the other team. "Do you have a captain?" I asked. "Yeah we have a captain. Do you?" Natalie countered. I stood up and walked to the center of the living room. "Yeah! I'm the captain." I told them. I heard a scoff and glared in Boromir's general direction. "Who's your captain? It's our tradition for the captains to shake hands and officially start the game." I explained. Natalie and Francesca both shoved Boromir towards me. "He's our captain." Natalie told me. I nodded. Boromir and I had an epic staring contest and I stuck out my hand. We shook hands and everyone scattered.

I ran upstairs to the main floor of the house. This floor had the kitchen, dining room, a bathroom, a two bed guest room and another living room of sorts. There were plenty of hiding spots here. I started with the kitchen, raiding the cabinets under the counter and finding nothing. I sat on the counter and checked the cabinets up there. There was a package of Chips Ahoy cookies but no flag. _I'll have to come back for the cookies. _I thought as I searched the rest of the kitchen. Then I moved on to the dining room. There weren't many hiding places there so I didn't find anything. After checking the bathroom and guest room and not finding anything I snuck quietly into the living room. Merry and Francesca were in there, searching for our flag. I smiled and snuck up behind Merry. Unfortunately for me, Francesca saw me and shot at me. I ducked and her dart hit the wall. "Ha! Ya missed me!" I yelled as I dived behind a couch and shot at Francesca's shoulder. She moved out of the way and gave me a grin. I matched her grin with a glare and decided to fake them out. I aimed at Francesca and at the last minute turned and shot Merry in the gut. "Oof." Merry exhaled and went back down to the basement where the jail was. Francesca turned around for a minute and I ran for the stairs to the second floor.

The second floor had another bathroom, Kate's room, my room, and the other guest rooms. I made a left at the stairs and checked mine and Kate's rooms quickly, figuring there wouldn't be anything there. I ran down the hall and checked the bathroom. I heard footsteps coming behind me and hid in the bathroom. Gimli walked by and stood in front of one of the guest rooms. Kate was also up here and just walked out of her room when she saw Gimli. She snuck up behind him and they had a shoot out which resulted in Gimli getting hit in the knee. After he left I came out of the bathroom and looked at my sister. "Nice shot." I complimented. "Thank you." She whispered. "He was probably guarding their flag, but then he took a dart to the knee." Kate said. I laughed. "It was supposed to be an arrow to the knee! If you're going to make a Skyrim joke, do it right!" I heard Natalie yell from inside the guest room Gimli had been standing in front of. "You fool! Now they know our location!" Boromir scolded. Kate put a finger to her lips and we stood on either side of the door. I bit my lip for a minute, trying to stifle my laughter. "On three we bust in." Kate whispered. I nodded and we stood for a moment, listening. I reached slowly for the doorknob. "Three!" I yelled and kicked the door open. We entered the room and were immediately met with foam darts flying at us. I ran and slid on my knees on the carpet to dodge the darts. Not my best idea considering I was wearing shorts. _Ugh, I'm going to have a nasty rug burn from that._ "Nyeegh!" Natalie groaned as Kate nailed her in the forehead. I smiled and shot Boromir's shoulder. Both of them sulked away and Kate and I searched the room. I opened the drawer to the nightstand in the room and saw it. The blue flag. I grinned. "Well don't just stand there sis! Grab it and let's go!" Kate yelled. I grabbed the flag and we ran downstairs and outside.

They yard was in chaos. Aragorn and Legolas were trying to fight the entire blue team on their own, and Legolas was still in the tree. Francesca must have freed everyone on her team. Kate and I crouched down on the side of the house and watched for a minute. Then Pippin came running out. Kate yanked him down and he crouched by us. "What are we going to do?" he asked. "You and Kate are going to help Aragorn and I'm going to run around to the other side of the house and climb up the tree from the back so I won't get caught. Once this flag is up that tree the game is over and we win." I whispered.

Kate and Pippin nodded and I ran out the gate and around the front of the house. I opened the gate on the other side and bolted to the tree. I stood behind the tree for a moment, then put my nerf gun down by the tree trunk and tucked the flag in my back pocket so I could climb. I climbed up the tree and Legolas immediately turned around and tried to shoot me. I took the flag out of my pocket and held my hands up and smirked. "I come in peace." I told him. Legolas lowered the nerf gun and smiled at me. "You found it!" he exclaimed. "Kate helped. She found where they were hiding it and we shot out Natalie and Boromir, who were guarding it. Then Kate told me to take the flag." I said. "What are we going to do?" Legolas asked. I just smiled and climbed out further onto a branch that was hanging over the battle that was taking place. Only Natalie, Merry and Pippin had gotten out, but Natalie cheated and sat by the fence. Now, Kate and Aragorn were on their own against Gimli and Boromir and Francesca. I sat on the branch so everyone could see me. "Hey! The game's over! Green team wins!" I yelled, twirling the blue flag in my fingers. "How did you find it?" Francesca yelled up to me. "Natalie yelled at Kate for telling an arrow to the knee joke wrong and we heard her. Then Kate shot Natalie, I shot Boromir and we took the flag. Then I snuck around the front yard and climbed up the tree." I explained. "Great. Now get out of the tree and tell us where your flag was!" Natalie yelled. "The flag was up here in the tree." I laughed. Legolas got our flag from the tree and jumped gracefully to the ground. "I've said it before and I'll say it again. Showoff." I muttered. Legolas laughed again. The branch wasn't too high off the ground so I jumped down and landed, stumbling a bit, next to Kate. "That was absolutely brilliant." Boromir muttered. "Thank you!" I smiled.

"That was fun!" Francesca commented once we were all back inside and the nerf guns were put away. "Did you all have fun?" I asked everyone. "I would still like to know how you managed to get up that tree without any of us seeing you lassie." Gimli said. "As Kate said earlier, I am a ninja." I shrugged and sat down on the couch. "You have yet to explain to me what a ninja is, Lady Olympia." Legolas reminded me. "Another time." I waved my hand in his direction. He shot me an annoyed look. I stuck my tongue out at him. "I must say, you were a rather good team captain." Aragorn turned to me. "Thank you." I said. "Anyway, what are we going to do now?" Francesca asked. I looked at the clock, it was only 9:00. "I don't know." I yawned. "Pajama time!" Natalie yelled. "Wait, we need to set up the air mattresses and stuff first." Kate stated. "Okay, there are two guest rooms we can use tonight. One has two beds. The hobbits can stay there if they don't mind putting two in a bed. The other guest room only has one bed and we have air mattresses that can be set up in the guest rooms." I told everyone. The hobbits agreed to double up in the guest room beds and Gandalf was staying in the bed in the other room. Four air mattresses would be set up, two in each guest room and that would have to work for tonight. "I'll help Kate set up the air mattresses. Francesca and Natalie, you two can change into you pajamas if you want. We'll be back soon." I said.

Kate and I went upstairs. I got the extra sheets from the hallway closet and she set the air mattresses up. Afterwards we went to our separate rooms and changed into our pajamas. I put on a pair of purple and white plaid pajama pants and a purple tank top to match. I slipped my feet into my purple fuzzy slippers and met everyone in the basement. Kate, Francesca and Natalie had changed into pajamas as well. Kate wore blue and yellow plaid pajama pants and a blue tank top. Francesca wore red and white plaid pants and a red T-shirt. Natalie was wearing black and white pajama pants and a black T-shirt. Francesca's hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and she was braiding Kate's hair. I sat down next to Francesca and hung upside down on the couch again. Natalie chuckled and some of the Fellowship gave me weird looks. "Lady Olympia, what are you doing?" Aragorn asked. _Again with the 'Lady' stuff! Nyeeegh. I'll just have to get used to it._ "Hanging upside down." I answered. "Why are you doing that?" Merry inquired. "I don't really know. It's fun." I told him. "Finished!" Francesca announced as she tied Kate's hair in a hair tie. "Your turn Olympia. Let me braid your hair." Kate motioned for me to come and sit with her. "Do you think I could do a back roll off the couch?" I smiled at my sister. "You and your Ju Jitsu." Kate sighed and rolled her eyes. She then got up to get a hairbrush so she could braid my hair. "I'd like to see you try that. That would be so awesome." Francesca commented. "Do it!" Natalie encouraged. I took a breath and tucked my head to the side and back rolled off the couch, landing on my knees. Francesca winced and Natalie looked impressed. "That looked like it hurt your knees Miss Olympia." Sam pointed out. "It didn't, I'm fine." I assured him. I sat down as Kate came back with a brush and another hair tie.

"So, do you have any more questions about our world?" I asked the Fellowship. They did and we spent a while answering more of their questions. We all started laughing when they asked about our clothes and explained to them that women in this world usually wore pants. The looks on their faces were absolutely priceless. I only wish that I had a camera at that moment. After French braiding my hair, Kate got up and turned to the Fellowship. "Okay, it's time to go to sleep now. We are going to have a busy day tomorrow. Francesca and Natalie, you know where to go, so go." She told my friends and pointed towards the stairs. Kate and I also led the Fellowship upstairs to where our rooms were. We had decided that they would be staying in the upstairs guest rooms so they could find us easier if they needed something. "Alright, if you need anything my room is there and Olympia's room is there. Just wake us up if we're sleeping. I suggest that if you're going to wake up Olympia you use the air horn in her room. She sleeps like the dead." Kate explained. "It's true." I agreed. This prompted an explanation of air horns and how to use them. Afterwards, Kate and I went to bed. I turned my air conditioner up a little higher than what it already was, turned my light off, and went to sleep.

**Author's note: W00T! Nerf wars for the win! I actually have nerf wars like the one in this chapter with my friends. It is unbelievably fun. Kate told them to wake me up with an air horn. That probably won't go over well. *insert evil laugh here* Review please! **


	4. Chapter 4

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES! I ONLY OWN MYSELF (OLYMPIA) AND KATE!**

**Author's note: Well, here goes Chapter Four! I'm still trying to figure out an updating schedule for this story. For the moment I'm just updating as soon as I can. Hopefully, I'll have a schedule worked out by the time school starts up again. By the way, Natalie is known as gNat2 on this site, she also actually is one of my best friends. Read and Review!**

Chapter Four

Kate's POV

It seemed like I was only asleep for a few minutes when I felt someone shaking my shoulders to wake me. "Miss Kate?" they asked. "Hmm?" I rolled over and looked up to see Sam, looking very uncomfortable and awkward. "What's the matter?" I asked. "Uhm, I need to uh, relieve myself. Is there somewhere I can do that?" he shuffled on his feet. I couldn't see him well enough to tell, but I'm going to say he was blushing. I looked at the clock to see what time it was, 1:30 in the morning. _Note to self: Make sure everyone knows how to use the bathroom by this afternoon. Also, showers wouldn't kill them._ "Yeah, there is. Come with me." I told him, getting up. I led him down the hall to where the bathroom was. Once there I explained, quite awkwardly I might add, how to use the bathroom and how to work the sink. I told Sam to use the stool to reach it. Don't ask me why we kept a stool in the bathroom; I honestly don't have the slightest clue. After explaining all of this I went back to bed and fell asleep.

My alarm clock went off at seven thirty in the morning like it usually did for school. _Ugh, I must have forgotten to unplug it for the summer. _I thought as I unplugged the device and stuffed it into the drawer of my night table. I went downstairs into the dining room to find that Gandalf, Aragorn, Boromir, Gimli and Legolas were already awake. "Good morning!" I smiled and sat down at the table with them. I got a round of 'Good mornings' from them. "What are we going to be doing today, Lady Kate?" Gandalf asked. "First of all, we're going to have to wait for everyone else to wake up. That might involve someone waking my sister. Afterwards, we're going to eat breakfast and then we have to go and get you lot some new clothes. Once that's done we can come back here. At some point Olympia has to take Bella for a walk because I did it yesterday." I explained. "Why do we need new clothes?" Boromir asked. "People in this day and age dress differently than what you are used to." I said. At that moment the hobbits came down the stairs, Bella following them. I scratched behind Bella's ear and her leg started twitching the way a dog's leg does. The hobbits also asked what we were doing today and I gave them the same answer I gave the others. A while later Francesca and Natalie woke up. At that point I made it my first order of business to make sure everyone knew where the bathrooms were and how to use them. The fact that I had gone through it twice by that time didn't make it any less awkward, just putting it out there.

"Alright, I'm going to make pancakes for breakfast. Francesca and Natalie, could you two set the table. Also, someone needs to wake up Olympia." I told everyone as I went to the kitchen and started getting out the things we needed for pancakes. "Kate, are you trying to get someone killed? You know better than we do that waking up Olympia is well…." Francesca stopped there, probably trying to find the right phrase. "Let's just say you'd have to be insane and/or suicidal." Natalie pointed out. "Okay, in that case, who would be the least likely to get injured if they went to wake her up?" I asked. "Probably one of them, the rest of us know better." Natalie stated, gesturing to the Fellowship, who looked quite scared. "I don't think Kate wants to torture them like that. And yes, Olympia probably would try to kill them." Francesca countered. "And I wouldn't be that mean to them." I told her without looking up from the pancake batter I was mixing. "I'll go do it, but I'll need back up." Natalie offered. "Take someone with you then. Shot not!" Francesca told her. "I'm cooking so I can't." I said. "Uh, Legolas! You're coming with me, Olympia probably wouldn't kill you." Natalie yelled. Francesca chuckled at the confused and slightly scared look on Legolas's face. "Natalie! Stop scaring the elf!" I laughed. "I'm not!" she whined and dragged Legolas upstairs to Olympia's room. "God help them." I murmured.

*Natalie POV*

"This is going to be fun!" I whispered to Legolas as we walked up to Olympia's room. "What fun would be in waking your friend?" he asked. "Olympia flips out when we wake her up with an air horn. It'll be funny. You just watch." I smiled. When we got up to Olympia's room; we stopped in front of the door for a minute. "I'm going to go in and grab the air horn, then I'll give it to you and you'll just press the button on the top and I'm going to yell at the top of my lungs. If all else fails, I'll tackle her." I explained. I looked at Legolas, he looked uncomfortable. "Ah, you'll be fine. Olympia won't hurt you, probably. What's the matter?" I asked him. "I am not comfortable with entering a woman's private quarters." He whispered. "Everything is gonna be alright." I sang. Then, I opened the door to Olympia's room and we snuck in. I went over to her desk and took her air horn. I gave it to Legolas and shoved him towards the sleeping form of Olympia. "Just push the button!" I encouraged him. He still looked like he'd rather be fighting a bajillion orcs than waking up my friend.

Legolas pushed the button thus sounding the air horn and I shouted, "Olympia! Get your ass out of bed! We got shit to do today!" Olympia screamed bloody murder, flailed her arms and legs and fell out of bed. She would have landed on Legolas had he not taken a step back due to her scream. "What the flying fladoodles was that for?" She yelled from the floor. "Kate told us to wake you up because she's making pancakes!" I smiled at her. "If that's the case I have two questions." Olympia held up two fingers and I nodded for her to proceed. "One, why, the hell did you have to use the air horn?" she sent me an evil glare. "I thought it would be fun." I shrugged. "I'll get you for that. Two, Legolas, why are you in my room?" she turned to the elf, who had been standing there with a shocked look on his face. "Lady Natalie brought me along with her when she came to wake you." He answered. "I did it because you would be more likely not to hurt him." I explained. "That doesn't mean I'm not going to hurt you." Olympia smiled mischievously and slowly got to her feet, pushing some loose hair out of her face. "Oh shit!" I yelled and took off out of her room.

*Olympia POV*

I laughed evilly and ran after Natalie, leaving behind a confused and probably embarrassed elf behind me. I ran down the stairs and caught up to her. "Don't kill me!" she laughed as we ran into the kitchen. Natalie stopped short to keep herself from tripping over the hobbits. That caused me to bump into her back and fall flat on my ass. "Are you okay?" Kate asked, trying not to laugh as she put a bunch of pancakes on a platter. "I'm fine. Natalie won't be though." I said. Natalie and some of the other members of the Fellowship gave me wary looks. I just smiled and put Natalie in a headlock and gave her a noogie. This was extremely hard for me to do because Natalie is at least a head taller than me. "Break it up! It's time to eat." Kate pulled the two of us apart with the help of Francesca. "Food is on the table. Today, we need to shop." Kate explained as she ushered me and Natalie to the table.

"That, my friends, is why no one wants to wake her up. Ever." Natalie told the Fellowship as she fixed her hair where I had messed it up. We had explained to everyone what pancakes were and miraculously my dining room table had enough room to seat thirteen people. "Olympia, how much money do you have from graduation and stuff?" Kate asked me. "I have one hundred dollars from graduation and about ninety from babysitting and from the money I have from working at the animal rescue shelter that I haven't spent on other stuff yet." I told her. "Awesome. I have my credit card. We'll use that to pay for the clothes they need." She explained. "Wait just a damn minute. We can't let you pay for everything. Right Natalie?" Francesca said. "Right. I've got some money, so we'll help pay. I could also go and get my van so we can get to the mall." Natalie added. "You guys are the freaking best!" I yelled. "I think we should split up once we get there, we'll be done faster. Oh, Olympia! You still need a dress for Rachel's Sweet Sixteen!" Kate suggested. "Ugh, why did you have to remember?" I groaned. "Because, you can't go to her party in street clothes. She'll kill you." Kate reminded me. "Okay, I'll get a dress. I'll look around after we take care of the Fellowship." I narrowed my eyes at my sister.

After we ate, Francesca, Kate, Natalie and I got changed into normal clothes. I had on a pair of denim shorts and my Honey Badger T-shirt and my purple converse sneakers. "Should we split into groups now or when we get there?" I asked once we were all ready to go. "Now, one of us will go with each group. That would be two of them for every one of us. One of us will have to take three because we have an odd number. I'll do that." Kate said all in one breath. "How did you accomplish that in one breath?" Francesca asked, amazed. "Francesca, you take Sam and Frodo. Natalie, you take Merry and Pippin." Kate started. "Do you really think that's a good idea? Natalie, Merry and Pippin all together and unsupervised." I commented. Natalie Gibbs slapped me on the back of the head. "I'll take Gandalf, Gimli and Boromir." Kate finished. "That leaves me with Legolas and Aragorn. Are we all good to go?" I asked. I got nods and mumbled yeses. "Good. Natalie, go back home and get your van so we can go." I turned to my friend who had been talking to Merry and Pippin. "Natalie, Francesca, Merry, Pippin, Sam, and Frodo will all fit in Natalie's semi-pedo van." Kate started. Natalie's van was a normal van, but it was white, so yeah. We called it the semi-pedo van. "You, Gandalf, Gimli and Boromir should all fit in your Santa Fe. Aragorn, Legolas and I will all go in my Santa Fe. Yeah, that'll work." I turned to my sister. "Okay. Did you all hear that?" Kate raised her voice slightly. "Yeah, we're good!" Francesca responded.

After Natalie got back, we all separated into our cars. We managed to get all of the Fellowship into the cars without any major issues. "What mall are we going to?" I called to Kate, who was helping those in her car with seat belts. "The Broadway Mall. If anyone asks, we came from a fantasy fair and our bags and stuff were stolen. Does that work for everyone?" Kate yelled to Natalie in the other car. "Yeah!" came her reply. "'Kay!" I yelled and pulled the door to my baby blue Santa Fe shut. "Alright, here we go!" I smiled. "Where are we going?" Aragorn asked. "We are going to the Broadway Mall." I told him. "Where is that?" Legolas continued. "Not far from here." I looked at them from the rear view mirror for a second. "What was it that your sister mentioned earlier about a sweet sixteen?" Aragorn inquired. "A sweet sixteen is a celebration of a girl's sixteenth birthday. Usually, a huge party is thrown for it at a restaurant or something. My cousin, Rachel is having hers on Saturday. I don't have a dress for the party yet so Kate's making me get one today. She already has a dress because she loves dressing up. That's one of the major differences between us. I don't like dressing up. Usually Kate will help me though. Anyway, first we need to get your clothes." I explained. Both Legolas and Aragorn looked like they wanted to ask something else but they kept quiet. I flipped on the radio and put on my favorite station, 95.5 FM, P.L.J.

**Author's note: Whew! That chapter was kind of long. Meh, there was a lot of stuff that needed to be covered. NCIS reference in this chapter! Me and Natalie really do Gibbs slap people. Muahaha! I hope you liked this chapter. READ AND REVIEW! **


	5. Chapter 5

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS! I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING THAT I REFERENCE! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES AND I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OC KATE! **

Chapter Five

Olympia's POV

I had been singing along to most of the songs that came on the radio. I was singing 'How to Save a Life' by The Fray when we pulled into the parking lot of the Broadway Mall. Lucky for us, it was the middle of the week and it was barely 10:00 in the morning, so it wasn't crowded. I found Natalie's white semi-pedo van and Kate's dark blue Santa Fe and parked next to them. Legolas, Aragorn and I got out of the car and were met by Francesca and Natalie, both laughing their asses off. The hobbits were standing by my sister and looking slightly shaken. I looked at them, then back at my friends. "What did you do?" I smirked. "We… sang….. along….with…..the….radio." They said between laughs and trying to get their breath back. "Oh good god!" I murmured. "Yeah, yeah. We know we can't sing. You two are lucky you rode with her. She can actually sing!" Francesca addressed Aragorn and Legolas. "Like a boss." Natalie added. "Alright! Let's go!" Kate cut short our conversation and started walking to the entrance. "You girls all have you phones right?" Kate asked once we caught up to her. "Yeah." Natalie, Francesca and I chorused. "Good. Olympia, dress. Get one! Knowing you, you'll try to get away with not getting a dress." Kate reminded me. "Damn it! You know me so well!" I smiled. My friends giggled a bit. "Legolas and Aragorn, make sure she gets a dress." Kate gave the aforementioned people her famous death stare. Both of them nodded. I face-palmed.

We walked to the entrance together and split up. I led Aragorn and Legolas to the nearest Target because they didn't really need dress clothes. We walked into the store and went straight for the men's clothes. I pulled out a bunch of shirts and shorts in different sizes and handed them to Legolas and Aragorn. "Go into the fitting rooms there and tell me what fits." I pointed to the fitting rooms. "What are these made of?" Legolas asked as he ran his hands over the denim shorts I handed him. "Denim. It's a kind of fabric." I told him. I sat outside the fitting rooms while they tried on the clothes and my phone went off and started playing Italy's song about Germany from Hetalia. You know, the one that goes like, 'Germany, Germany. Germany is a really really nice place. Even though I'm you prisoner you give me food! And it doesn't suck like English food.' Yeah, that. "Yo, Natalie! What'cha need?" I answered the phone. "What shoe size should I get the hobbits?" she asked. "Don't get them shoes! There are no sizes big enough." I told her. "Kay, thanks. Bye!" she answered and hung up. Aragorn and Legolas came out of the fitting rooms a few minutes later. Legolas and Aragorn were both wearing denim shorts, Aragorn had a medium blue polo shirt and Legolas had a green polo shirt. They both handed me the clothes that didn't fit. "Alright. Go change back and we'll get some more clothes in these sizes. Okay?" I told them, taking the other clothes. They nodded and went to change back. I put the other clothes back. When the boys changed, I got another pair of shorts and another shirt for each of them.

After that we went back out into the mall. I was internally debating what shoe store to go to. We passed by a Payless and went inside. I picked out two pairs of black converse sneakers and gave them to Legolas and Aragorn. After explaining how to tell if the shoe fits, I had them sit down and try them on. "Do they fit?" I asked. "Yes." They said in unison. _Wow, first try. I rock!_ "What do we do with these?" Legolas motioned to the laces of the sneakers. "You tie them to keep the shoe closed. Like this." I bent down and tied their sneakers, explaining what I was doing so they could do it themselves. After they mastered shoe tying, I paid for the shoes in cash. They were on sale so they were only about 15 bucks apiece. "That didn't take as long as I thought it would." I commented as we went and sat on a bench that was randomly around. "You thought it would take longer?" Aragorn asked. "Yes. Now I need to call my sister and ask where we're meeting if we're done." I said, taking out my phone. "Lady Kate told us to make sure you got a dress." Legolas reminded me. _Damn, he's good. _I thought. "I was hoping you forgot about that." I muttered. Both of them laughed at me. "Elves never forget anything." Aragorn told me. "Words of wisdom." I smiled a little. We got up and I checked the map to see how far it was to Macy's. "I'm still calling Kate." I told them as we walked. I took my phone out of my purse and dialed my sister's number. She answered after a little bit. "Hey, are you done yet? The rest of us are at the food court. Everyone has pizza and soda and there's some waiting for you guys. I got Gimli a T-shirt that says 'Dude!' Natalie told Merry and Pippin that real guys wear pink. So they're wearing pink. When you get here, Aragorn and Legolas are going to change in the bathroom like the others did." She said. "Seriously, that's awesome! I still need a dress. Come help me, I'm going to be in Macy's." I told her. I heard her laughter from the other end of the line. "Did they actually remind you?" Kate asked. "Legolas did, yes." I answered in an 'I'm not amused' tone. "Okay, okay I'll come help you." She laughed and hung up. I shook my head and put my phone away. "Natalie is awesome now. She got Merry and Pippin to wear pink." I told Legolas and Aragorn. Aragorn smiled and Legolas raised an eyebrow. "I don't know why she did it either." I shrugged.

Once we were in Macy's, I found the escalator and went up to the floor where the dresses were. Somehow, Kate was already there and waiting for me. "Come!" she exclaimed, pulling my arm and causing me to almost drop my bags. I glanced back at Aragorn and Legolas, who looked confused and mouthed, 'Help me!' Legolas furrowed his eyebrows. We searched the dress racks and Kate handed me four dresses before pushing me to the fitting rooms. There were couches outside so my sister motioned to them. "You two can sit down." She told Aragorn and Legolas. Kate rushed me into a fitting room and helped me with the dresses. The first one was blue, green and black with a black sash and was immediately shot down by both of us. The second one was pink. I think Kate was teasing me, I hate pink. So, I didn't even try the dress on. The one after that was dark blue and strapless. The top wrapped around me and flared slightly at the waist and fell to the floor. "Ooh, I like this one." Kate commented after making sure my hair didn't get stuck in the zipper, like it had done with the others. "But, I also like the purple one." Kate looked to the other dress, which was hanging up on one of the knobs in the fitting room. The dress had cap sleeves that were a little ruffled. From the waist down, the dress fell to my ankles in two inch tiers. Both dresses were pretty. "I have an idea! Go out there and show the guys both dresses and get their opinions!" Kate squealed. My head snapped up and I looked at her with wide eyes. "Are you crazy? I don't want to go out there!" I hissed. "Why not? Are you nervous? Do you not want them to see you being girly?" Kate smirked. "That's exactly it!" I whispered. "Aww, you just don't want Legolas to see you." She teased. "I hate you." I whispered. Kate rolled her eyes and dragged me to where Legolas and Aragorn were waiting for us. "Olympia can't decide between two dresses. So, I told her we'd get your opinions on both of them." Kate explained and crossed her arms over her chest triumphantly. Both Legolas and Aragorn looked at me for a minute. I tried to figure out what they might be thinking, but they both had epic poker faces. _Note to self: Don't ever play cards with these two. _ Kate dragged me back into the fitting room and had me try on the other dress. She then dragged me back outside to show the guys. "Which one did you guys like the best? Personally, I liked the blue one." Kate looked at them. _I can't believe my sister is actually asking them for style advice. What the fuck is this madness? _Aragorn nodded in agreement and Legolas just looked like he was completely zoned out. Aragorn elbowed him in the ribs and he looked up. "I think you look beautiful in both dresses, Lady Olympia." He told me. I felt my face heating up and getting red. _Shit! I'm blushing! Shit, shit, and again shit! _ Kate smiled broadly and dragged me back into the fitting rooms. "Wow. You should have seen your face! I could have fried at least a dozen eggs on it!" Kate laughed. "We're getting the blue dress. You have black heels at home right?" she changed the subject when I death glared her. "Yeah, I have shoes." I said as I changed back into my normal clothes.

After paying for the dress, Kate led all of us up to the food court where the rest of the Fellowship and Francesca and Natalie were. They had all gotten pizza like Kate had told me on the phone. Kate told Aragorn and Legolas to go change in the bathrooms and we sat down at our table by the windows. "Finally! You took forever!" Natalie commented when we got there. "Olympia needed a dress." Kate shrugged and winked at me. "Ugh, you're never going to let me live that down are you?" I head-desked. "Nope!" Kate answered cheerfully and Francesca pushed a slice of pizza and a glass of lemonade towards me. "Thanks." I smiled at my friend and took a bite out of the pizza. Legolas and Aragorn came back with their clothes in the Target bag and put the bags under their chairs. Legolas sat down next to me. Kate, who was sitting on my other side, elbowed me and smiled. I glared at her and turned my attention back to my pizza.

Once we finished eating, we cleaned up our garbage and went back to the cars. We loaded up all of our stuff in the cars and started back to my house. "Alright, tonight you two, Gimli and Boromir can sleep in the other guest room. Natalie and Francesca are going back to their houses tonight. They'll stay for dinner and stuff but they'll go home to sleep. I don't know what we're going to do once we get back. I'll have to take Bella for a walk at one point. Maybe we'll play wii or something." I rambled on for a little bit. Aragorn was staring out the window and Legolas looked deep in thought. I flipped the radio on and started singing again. "Listen to your heart, when he's calling for you. Listen to your heart there's nothing else you can do. I don't know where you're going, and I don't know why. But listen to your heart before you tell him goodbye." I sang along with the radio and smiled.

**Author's note: W00t! I feel accomplished because I sat down and wrote this entire chapter in one sitting! GAAH! Fluffiness is fluffy. Don't come after me with pitch forks and torches and stuff! *hides under my desk* REVIEW PLEASE! **


	6. Chapter 6

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS! I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING THAT I REFERENCE! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND KATE!**

Chapter Six

Olympia's POV

The rest of the car ride home was very uneventful and consisted mainly of me singing. I'm a music person, so I tend to do that a lot. We pulled back up to my house after about ten minutes and went inside to unpack everything. "Alright, we'll put your clothes in the guest rooms. Germany, Francey Pants, is all your stuff ready to go for when you leave later?" Kate asked once we were inside. "Yeah, all our stuff is good to go. My car's here so I can drive myself home. Francey Pants!" Natalie said. Francesca looked up at the sound of her nickname. "Yeah?" she cocked her head to the side. "Do you need a ride home? I could drive you." Natalie continued. "You'd do that? Thanks!" she replied. Kate and I helped the Fellowship put their new clothes and stuff into their rooms.

"Alright, what do you want to do now?" Kate rubbed her hands together and smiled. "I have no freaking idea." Natalie stated, flopping down on the couch. "Do you guys want to do anything specific?" Francesca asked the Fellowship. Natalie chuckled a little bit and nudged me. I started giggling too once I thought for a minute. "What was so funny?" Francesca raised an eyebrow at us. "Think about how that sounded for a second." Natalie told her. "Woah. That sounded wrong." Francesca said after thinking on it for a second. "Ya think?" I commented. Francesca threw a pillow at my face. I tried to catch it but fumbled and dropped the pillow. "Smooth." Kate smirked at me. I narrowed my eyes at her. "Could you possibly explain what a ninja is?" Aragorn asked. Francesca and Natalie started laughing. "Yes! I never explained that did I?" I sat up straight. "No, you did not." Legolas added, slightly annoyed. I smiled to myself. "A ninja is a person who is very stealthy, skilled in martial arts, usually wears black clothes with a mask to cover their mouth and nose and gets to perform top secret missions and stuff." I explained. Natalie struck the classic ninja pose. "Olympia is one and a half of those things." Kate ruffled my hair. "One and a half?" Boromir knit his eyebrows together. "She's not as stealthy as she likes to think she is. Martial arts, I have to admit she's pretty good at. So is Natalie. Stealthy? Not so much." Kate shook her head playfully. "I am too stealthy! You just have super hearing." I defended. "Yeah, okay." Kate rolled her eyes at me and I stuck my tongue out at her. "What are martial arts?" Legolas asked. "Everybody move the stuff out of the center of the room. This question deserves a demonstration." Natalie grinned. I grinned back and Natalie and I walked to the center of the room.

"Natalie and I practice a martial art known as Ju Jitsu. It is a form of self defense. Kate used to train too, but she stopped when she started working." I explained. After we explained some basic techniques and demonstrated them, we showed them some judo throws and such. "Those were some more advanced techniques that we learned at our dojo." Natalie said. "Now what?" Francesca asked. "Mario Kart Wii!" Kate answered, using her Mario voice impression. "Yes!" I yelled. Legolas flinched at the sudden volume. "Sorry." I apologized and went to plug in our wii console and set up the game. Kate explained to everyone how to play the game and we played until everyone got at least one turn. We had four wii remotes so four people at a time could play. "Wow, I didn't know you people could be so competitive!" Francesca commented. This caused almost everyone in the room to laugh. It was true though, they were pretty competitive when we had played Mario Kart. Even Gandalf played! "Can we play Just Dance now?" Kate asked. "Yes! Oh my god, yes!" I laughed. "We should do that!" Francesca stated. "That would be so much fun!" Natalie laughed. We set up the game and I handed Natalie and Francesca wii remotes so we could teach the Fellowship how to play.

"What song should we do?" Francesca asked when we were sifting through the songs. "I've got an idea." I stated. "What song?" Kate asked. She had the player one wii remote, so she got to choose the songs. I smiled and motioned for her to lean in closer to me, she raised an eyebrow, but leaned in. "'It's Raining Men.' We should do that." I whispered. Kate looked at me for minute, then started laughing uncontrollably along with Francesca and Natalie when she selected the song. Natalie ended up getting the highest score because she was the only one who actually stopped laughing. After that song, we gave members of the Fellowship turns on Just Dance. Unfortunately, Gandalf wouldn't be convinced to play. I would have paid good money to see that though, it would've been funny as hell. One round, it was me, Natalie, Francesca and Legolas playing. "What song should we do?" I asked. Kate smiled evilly and motioned for me to lean closer to her. My eyes widened as I did so. She whispered her song choice into my ear. _Walked right into that one didn't I? _I thought as I scrolled through the list for the song. I heard Kate laughing but I was too busy looking for the song she told me to do. Kate came back down the stairs with her iPod and I knew she was going to be videotaping the dance. "You are an evil, evil genius." I told her. "But a genius nonetheless." Kate retorted and started filming. I clicked on the song 'Jump in the Line' and waited for the music to start.

After the dance ended, Natalie face-palmed, Francesca rolled her eyes and I turned off the wii, blushing tomato red. "What time is it?" I asked. "It's about five o' clock." Kate answered. "I'm going to take Bella for a walk now. Does anyone want to come?" I stated, starting for the stairs. I waited a minute in case anyone changed their minds. "Alright. Don't scar them for life!" I yelled as I ran up the stairs. "Does that mean we can't watch Hetalia?" Natalie called. I heard Kate and Francesca burst out laughing. "Yes! That means no Hetalia!" I managed to say through my laughter. "Damn it!" Natalie yelled. I rolled my eyes and reached down to pet my puppy. I got her purple leash out of the drawer we kept it in and the small duffel bag of stuff we took on walks. You know, like plastic bags to clean up after your dog, water bottles, a small pop up water bowl, that kind of thing. I also grabbed my wallet and shoved it in the pocket of my Bermuda shorts. Bella barked happily and wagged her tail. I smiled and clipped the leash onto the dog's collar. "Onward!" I cheered as we walked out of the house. We walked aimlessly around for a little while. _I wonder if we have ice cream at home. Should I get some? I want ice cream! _I thought and dug my phone out of my bag. I dialed my home phone and waited for someone to pick up.

"Hello? What did you forget?" Kate teased. "Oh shush! I was wondering if you wanted me to pick up some ice cream." I told her. "Can you please?" Kate asked. Then I heard Gimli in the background. "Who are you talking to lass?" he asked. I started laughing and Kate told me to be quiet and not do anything stupid. I put my phone away and rolled my eyes. I walked Bella down to the nearby Wal-Mart. There, I saw Rachel coming out with some bags. "Yo, Rachie!" I called. "Oh, hi Olympia!" Rachel waved and pushed some of her light brown/dirty blonde hair out of her face. "What's up?" I asked, walking over to her. "Nothing much." She responded, petting Bella. "Can you do me a favor? I need to run into Wal-Mart real quick. Could you watch Bella?" I pleaded. My cousin smiled and rolled her blue eyes at me. "Sure." She smiled. "Thanks!" I called over my shoulder as I ran into the store. I quickly picked up some chocolate and some vanilla ice cream. I ran back outside and took Bella's leash from Rachel. "So, is everything ready for your Sweet Sixteen, peanut?" I smiled when she stuck her tongue out at me in response to the nickname she'd been given when she was a toddler. "Yeah, everything is all set. Why do you still call me peanut?" she asked me. "You're still shorter than me." I smirked. "So if I'm ever taller than you do I get to call you peanut?" she countered. "Yes, but it's unlikely you'll be taller than me now." I told her. "True. I gotta go. Bye! See you Saturday!" she called as she walked away. "Bye." I said.

I decided that Bella needed a little longer of a walk, so I took the long way home and prayed that my ice cream wouldn't melt. When I got back to my house, I got inside and put the ice cream in the freezer and let Bella go wander around the house. I snuck downstairs as quietly as I could to find Kate and Francesca playing on the upright piano that was in the corner of our living room farthest from the stairs.I started sneaking towards them when Legolas gave me a look. I put a finger to my lips, walked up behind them and tickled Kate's sides, causing her to jump. "Who says I'm not stealthy?" I crossed my arms across my chest. Gandalf chuckled and shook his head. Kate whacked me lightly with her music book. "Music abuse!" Francesca joked and yanked the book from my sister and put it back on the stand. "What should we make for dinner? I bought chocolate and vanilla ice cream and it's in the fridge." I pointed out. "Pasta!" Kate yelled, holding one hand up in the air. "This is why you're Italy. We already had pizza for lunch." I reminded her. "Too much Italian food never killed anyone. Besides, no one makes sauce like you two do." Natalie argued. "It's because we're part Italian and we're awesome. We'll make pasta for dinner if you want it." Kate answered. Francesca and Natalie fist bumped. "Okay! Do we have sauce?" I turned to Kate. "Yeah, there's leftover sauce in the freezer and we have pasta in the pantry." Kate answered. "Awesome! We should start now." I stated, looking at the clock. "I'll set the table if you start defrosting the sauce and stuff." Kate told me. "Deal." I nodded and we went up the stairs. "Where are you going?" Pippin asked. "We're making dinner. The air conditioner is on in the dining room if anyone wants to come hang out upstairs." I called.

I walked into the kitchen and got the jar of sauce out of the freezer and put it in a bowl of water. I dug out a pot and put it on the stove, then I rummaged through our pantry for three boxes of pasta. I went back to the kitchen and sat on the counter. A minute later Sam and Frodo walked into the kitchen. "Hi Sam. Hi Frodo." I waved at them. "Hello Miss Olympia." Sam greeted. "Hello." Frodo said. "What brings you here?" I asked, trying to break the awkward silence that had fallen over the three of us. "Mr. Frodo and I were curious. We wanted to know about food in your world." Sam explained. "What is in there?" Frodo pointed to the bowl with the sauce jar in it. "That's a jar of tomato sauce." I told them. "Tomato sauce is made out of crushed up tomatoes and some spices like Oregano, Basil and Parsley. Kate and I used to help my mom make it when we were growing up and eventually my mom taught us. It's a family tradition of ours. We don't buy tomato sauce from the store because it's just not as good as when we make it ourselves. If you ask my mom, it's also sacrilegious to get it from a store." I explained with a smile. "That is very interesting." Sam commented and Frodo nodded in agreement. _Does the Ring work in our universe?_ I randomly wondered. "Frodo, could you come here for a minute?" I asked. Frodo walked over to where I was sitting on the counter. "Does the Ring work in this world?" I whispered into his ear. "No. Your friends asked the same thing while you were out." Frodo whispered. I let out a sigh of relief.

Once the sauce was defrosted, I poured it out into the pot and put the burner on medium. It wasn't frozen anymore, but still needed to be heated up. Afterwards, I got out another pot for the pasta and put it on the stove. Kate then came in and got out dishes and stuff to set the table with. Sam and Frodo had moved into the dining room with everyone else. "What are we going to do after dinner?" she asked. "I don't know. Eat ice cream." I shrugged. Kate went back out into the dining room and I heard everyone talking too softly for me to make out their conversations. I shrugged and went back to stirring the pasta. Once it was cooked enough, I put it in a large bowl with the sauce and mixed it together. I then put some extra sauce in a gravy boat and brought them to the dinner table. "Food's ready." I announced. "Obviously." Natalie teased. I stuck my tongue out at her and took the only empty seat left, the head of the table opposite the one my sister was sitting at. Francesca sat on my left and Legolas was sitting on my right.

**Author's note: Ta-da! Chapter Six. This took awhile to write because I couldn't get on my computer for a while. I'm also slightly stuck on how exactly I am going to get the Fellowship home. I am open to suggestions, so if you have any please leave them in a review or PM me! Until next time, my lovely readers! READ AND REVIEW! **


	7. Chapter 7

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTHING I REFERENCE! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OC KATE!**

Chapter Seven

Olympia POV

About halfway through dinner, Kate decided we needed some music. So she went and turned on the radio and put in a Bon Jovi CD. "Kate, I swear you can read my mind!" I laughed. "How so?" Kate sat back down and raised an eyebrow at me. "I wanted to listen to Bon Jovi too." I said simply. Kate smiled. "What is Bon Jovi?" Gimli asked. Kate and I simultaneously gasped in mock surprise. Francesca chuckled and Natalie face-palmed "Bon Jovi is a band. Our parents introduced us to the band when we were kids and we love their music." Kate explained. The remainder of dinner consisted of Kate and I singing along to Bon Jovi, Francesca and Natalie laughing at the fact that Kate and I knew all the words, and attempting to teach the Fellowship the words to some of the songs. That failed miserably by the way. Oh, and me air guitar-ing.

After dinner, Natalie and Francesca gathered up all of their stuff and decided that they should get going. "Bye guys! Are you two going to Rachie's party Saturday?" I asked as they got ready to leave. Francesca and Natalie had also been invited to Rachel's Sweet Sixteen. "Yeah. I'll meet you here after Ju Jitsu class, okay?" Natalie replied. "Yeah, after you shower and change and pack your dress and stuff. The party doesn't start until 2:30 and knowing Rachel, we'll be lucky if we get out before midnight." I told her with a small laugh. "I'll just come around 1:00 ish so we can all get ready and be on the road before 2:00. The place is about a half hour from here right?" Francesca said. "Yeah, that'll work. See you on Saturday!" I responded hugging my friends and watching them leave.

"Well, now it's just us." Kate clapped her hands together once we'd all gathered in the basement. "Yep. What do you want to do?" I asked no one in particular. "If you do not mind, I would like to hear you play some more of that instrument. It was called a piano, wasn't it?" Merry said. Kate smiled, "Yes it's called a piano. I don't mind playing more music on it; I also play a bunch of other instruments. I can play the piano, saxophone, trumpet, clarinet, flute and some others." She told them. "Why did you learn so many instruments?" Boromir asked her. "I want to be a music teacher, so I have to learn a lot of instruments." Kate shrugged. "Lady Olympia, do you play an instrument?" Aragorn turned to me. "Yeah, I play the flute." I answered. "She can also sing." Kate added. "But, I've never taken vocal lessons and I don't like singing for people." I reminded her. Suddenly my feet became very interesting. "It doesn't matter. You're good! You got mom's singing voice. You were also in the chorus in summer music. I got Uncle Dean's voice, and he can't carry a tune with a forklift. What do you call that?" Kate retorted. "I call that dumb luck." I smiled. "Would I be correct to assume that means he cannot sing well?" Legolas raised an eyebrow. "Yes." Kate and I chorused. "What song should we do?" Kate asked me. "You can pick." I told her. Kate smiled and walked over to the piano.

I sat on the edge of the couch as Kate sifted through her music for a few minutes. "Aha!" Kate exclaimed. We all turned to look at her. "I've got it." Kate smiled. "What song?" I asked. My sister leaned over and whispered to me her song choice. "Halo, by Beyoncé." She said. I smiled and nodded Kate did some of her piano warm ups and I cleared my throat and warmed up my voice. "After this I want to play my flute." I told Kate. "Deal." Kate nodded her head as she started to play the familiar first bars to the song.

"Remember those walls I built  
Well, baby they're tumbling down  
And they didn't even put up a fight  
They didn't even make up a sound

I found a way to let you in  
But I never really had a doubt  
Standing in the light of your halo  
I got my angel now

It's like I've been awakened  
Every rule I had you breakin'  
It's the risk that I'm takin'  
I ain't never gonna shut you out

Everywhere I'm looking now  
I'm surrounded by your embrace  
Baby I can see your halo  
You know you're my saving grace

You're everything I need and more  
It's written all over your face  
Baby I can feel your halo  
Pray it won't fade away

I can feel your halo halo halo  
I can see your halo halo halo  
I can feel your halo halo halo  
I can see your halo halo halo

Hit me like a ray of sun  
Burning through my darkest night  
You're the only one that I want  
Think I'm addicted to your light

I swore I'd never fall again  
But this don't even feel like falling  
Gravity can't forget  
To pull me back to the ground again

Feels like I've been awakened  
Every rule I had you breakin'  
The risk that I'm takin'  
I'm never gonna shut you out

Everywhere I'm looking now  
I'm surrounded by your embrace  
Baby I can see your halo  
You know you're my saving grace

You're everything I need and more  
It's written all over your face  
Baby I can feel your halo  
Pray it won't fade away

I can feel your halo halo halo  
I can see your halo halo halo  
I can feel your halo halo halo  
I can see your halo halo halo

I can feel your halo halo halo  
I can see your halo halo halo  
I can feel your halo halo halo  
I can see your halo halo halo  
Halo, halo

Everywhere I'm looking now  
I'm surrounded by your embrace  
Baby I can see your halo  
You know you're my saving grace

You're everything I need and more  
It's written all over your face  
Baby I can feel your halo  
Pray it won't fade away

I can feel your halo halo halo  
I can see your halo halo halo  
I can feel your halo halo halo  
I can see your halo halo halo

I can feel your halo halo halo  
I can see your halo halo halo  
I can feel your halo halo halo  
I can see your halo halo halo"

I held the last note out for about four beats, getting softer as I did. Kate finished the piano part as I cut off the note. The whole room was silent for a minute. "What did you think?" Kate turned back to the Fellowship. "I liked it." Pippin was the first to speak. "I agree with Pippin." Sam stated. Merry and Frodo nodded. "You have a lovely singing voice, Olympia. And you, Kate are a very good piano player." Gandalf complimented us. "Thank you!" Kate beamed. "Thanks." I whispered, blushing. I'm a shy person by nature, so naturally I don't like to sing in front of people. That's why I usually don't sing in front of people. Kate always tells me that I need to take the confidence I have in Ju Jitsu class and use it when I sing for a crowd. She's been trying to get me to sing for people more often so it comes easier and so I don't get stage fright like I used to when I was one of those little five year old ballerina girls in the pink tutus. Yep, that was me when I was little. Now, I can't dance for my life and hate the color pink. Go figure. "Olympia, go get your flute!" Kate told me and pointed to the stairs. "What should I play?" I asked. "Something!" she replied. "Gee, that was helpful." I said sarcastically. "Oh, just go get the flute." Kate sighed. I put my glasses on before heading up the stairs into the kitchen.

I ran upstairs to my room and took my flute case off my desk and set up my flute on my bed. I put it together, making sure not to put the head joint in all the way, or the sound would be sharp. I played some scales to warm up and dug out my Harry Potter music book. I flipped open to Hedwig's Theme, put it on my music stand and brought it all downstairs, book, stand, instrument, everything. By the time I was trying to get down the second flight of stairs, my music was halfway off the stand and I was still trying to balance it. So, me being my klutzy self, I tripped on the bottom stair and everything went flying. I landed hard on my ass for the second time that day. "These things only seem to happen to me." I mused, checking my flute for any dents or out-of-whack keys and pushing my glasses back up my nose. "Only you." Kate shook her head and smiled as she picked up my music stand. I stuck my tongue out at her. Sam, as he was nearest when I fell, handed me my music book. "Thanks." I smiled a little and got up. "You are welcome, Miss Olympia." He replied as I walked past him to the piano chair where my sister had set up my music stand. I sat down and started playing.

When I was finished, Kate cheered and gave me a round of applause. The other members of the Fellowship slowly started clapping. "That was really good! You stayed in pitch on the high notes. That's hard to do." Kate stated. I grinned at my sister and got all my stuff ready to bring back upstairs. "Would you like some assistance with bringing all of that back upstairs?" Legolas asked. "I think I can handle it." I told him, attempting to juggle all my stuff. Legolas raised an eyebrow at me. "You're fighting a losing battle Olympia." Kate laughed. "Okay. Could you please carry this?" I asked, handing him my music stand. Legolas smiled at me, took the music stand and we walked back upstairs to my room. "Uh, just put it over there by the desk." I told him, pointing to the usual spot where my music stand is. Legolas put down the music stand and I started taking apart my flute. I cleaned the instrument with a rag I kept for it and put it away. I got up and noticed that Legolas was standing by the door, waiting for me. "You didn't really have to wait for me, you know." I told him once I reached the door. Legolas didn't answer me and we walked back downstairs in silence.

All of us hung out for a while before we decided to go to sleep. During this time, Kate and I had introduced the Fellowship to television and explained NCIS to them as there was a marathon on and NCIS is our favorite show. After the Fellowship went to bed, Kate and I sat on her bed and talked. "We seriously need to figure out how to get them home." I started. "How the hell would we do that?" Kate asked. "I don't freaking know." I sighed. I watched my sister go into thinking mode for a minute, then her eyes widened. "What if we got them back the same way they got here?" She smirked. "By playing the first movie during a thunderstorm and playing UNO? That's insane." My eyes went wide. "I know. It's so crazy it just might work. The next thunderstorm is supposed to be on Sunday night. We'll play UNO downstairs during it. We can't show them the movie, all hell would break loose. We'll just have to hope this works." Kate stated. "But wait, what if whatever magic brought them here takes us with them when they go back?" I slumped into Kate's pillow. "I don't think that's going to happen." Kate replied. "But what if it does?" I persisted. "It won't. You worry too much, and you read too much fanfiction. And you're paranoid." Kate laughed and punched my arm lightly. "Okay fine. But one day my paranoia is going to save us all!" I joked, pointing my index finger up to the ceiling. "One day your paranoia is going to drive you even more insane than you already are." Kate teased. "Probably. Good night!" I shrugged and left her room. "Good night." She called after me. I smiled for a second and fell asleep.

**Author's note: *dramatic music* DUN DUN DUN! Foreshadowing-ness is foreshadow-y. I thought the idea of returning the Fellowship to Middle Earth the same way they arrived on Earth would be cool to do. So there! In case you were wondering, Francesca and Natalie will both be joining me and Kate when we do get to Middle Earth. Their insanity adds to my insanity and usually makes for very confused people, which is very fun for us. Anywhoo that was chapter seven, I hope you liked it. REVIEW PLEASE! **


	8. Chapter 8

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS! FRANCESCA AND NATALIE OWN THEMSELVES! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND KATE! **

Chapter Eight

Olympia POV

Saturday morning came all too soon in my opinion. I woke up that morning later than usual. _Damn it! I'm going to have to really move my ass to get to Ju Jitsu on time._ I ran downstairsto find Kate and the other members of the Fellowship already up and in the living room on the first floor. "I already explained to them that they're going to be on their own today." Kate said the second I opened my mouth to ask. "Good. I need to eat and get ready for Ju Jitsu with Natalie. We're going to be running around like crazy people today." I smiled. "You know it. Now, go!" Kate pointed towards the kitchen. I ran into the kitchen and made myself two toaster waffles. After eating them at lightning speed, I got washed up and changed into my uniform. Then I had to scour my house to find my hairbrush seeing as it wasn't where I usually left it. "That should be a record." Kate commented, handing me my brush. "Yeah really." I responded, brushing my hair up into a ponytail; one stubborn piece of hair was too short to fit in my ponytail and fell on the left side of my face. "Am I bringing anyone with me when I go?" I asked. "I don't know are you?" Kate retorted. "Does anyone want to go and watch Olympia's and Natalie's Ju Jitsu class?" Kate asked as I grabbed my keys and water bottle and slipped on my flip flops. I ended up bringing Boromir, Legolas and Aragorn along to watch my class.

I pulled into the dojo's parking lot about five minutes before the first class started. On Saturday mornings there were two classes, one for beginners and one for advanced students. Natalie and I were both upper belts, so we sometimes help out at the beginner class. "You're late." Natalie smirked as I entered the dojo with Boromir, Legolas and Aragorn. "I am not, you're just early." I countered. Natalie narrowed her eyes at me because she didn't have a comeback for what I'd said. "I win!" I laughed. "For now." Natalie said. During the second class, our sensei had us doing a blocking drill that was similar to sparring. Each student would get three plastic rings with tails sticking out to put on their gi or belt. The students would then pair off and try to steal each other's plastic rings. As usual, Natalie and I worked together for that part. However, neither of us was able to steal the other's rings because we know each other's fighting styles so well from years of sparring together. Then, our senseis set up kind of a mosh pit in the center of the dojo and had four or five people try to steal rings from each other. At the end of our round, the only people left were me, Natalie and Johnny. _This should be interesting. _Natalie and I ended up working as a team against Johnny. It didn't exactly work seeing as Johnny took all three of Natalie's rings in a matter of minutes. I had tried to us his focus on Natalie to my advantage and steal his rings. That didn't work either, but he didn't get any of my rings until Natalie was out. After that, Johnny got my last ring in about twenty seconds flat. At the end of class when we were all leaving, Johnny had to give back one of the rings that was stuck in his gi. We all laughed and teased him about it. All in good fun of course.

After class, I went back outside into the waiting room where the others were waiting. I downed my entire water bottle while Natalie tied her shoes. "You are a fish, Kochie. A fish." Natalie commented when she saw my empty water bottle. "I know." I smiled. "So, what did you guys think of the class?" I asked Legolas, Boromir and Aragorn. "I was under the impression that you were still students." Boromir stated. "We are." Natalie answered. "What do you mean?" Legolas asked. "She means that we come to the advanced class, like the one we just had, and the adult class. The adult class is for adult students." I explained. The three of them nodded in understanding. "Alright, we need to go. See ya later Germany!" I said as I ushered the guys back to my car.

I drove home as fast as I could without scaring the boys or getting in legal trouble. Once home I unlocked the door and went into the kitchen to re-fill my water bottle. "Kate! Are we getting all dressed up now or later?" I called. "Now! Go shower!" she yelled up the stairs. "Why are you downstairs?" I asked. "I'm doing everyone's laundry! After you shower, so is everyone else. The clothes they got here in will be clean by tonight." She answered. "Okay!" I responded. I ran upstairs and got out my dress, black shoes and black purse and laid them out on my bed. I put my bathrobe on and ran into the bathroom and took one of the fastest showers of my life. When I was finished, Kate was waiting for me in my room to help. "That should also be a record." She smiled. "We're in a hurry today. I have a right to set records." I told her as I dried off and put on the dress and shoes. "Alright. It's hair and makeup time." Kate smiled. "Ugh, just don't go overboard." I warned. My sister laughed and set to work putting some light eye shadow and mascara on my face. "Here, put on some lipstick." She insisted, handing me a tube of light pink lipstick."Meep!" I groaned but put on the lipstick. "There, it's not a lot. Now, what should we do with your hair?" she asked. "I don't know." I shrugged. "I know!" Kate exclaimed and quickly set to work fishtail braiding my still soaking wet hair over my left shoulder. "There. Ooh, that looks good. Your sister knows her shit huh?" she smiled. "Yes. It's only because you have a girly side, but yes. Thanks for helping me out with all the dressy stuff." I told her. "No problem. I'm going to go tell everyone how to use the showers, then I'll get ready. Could you do me a favor and get my dress and stuff ready for me?" Kate asked. "Yeah, sure." I replied.

Kate ran downstairs and I walked into her room. Well, I more or less walked; I stumbled a few times in the shoes. Kate had told me ahead of time what she was wearing; the only issue was finding it in her room. Like me, Kate has a room that looks like it's been hit by a tornado. I somehow found her white purse and white heels. I searched her closet and then took out her dress. Kate's dress had green, blue, and white swirling designs on it and had a white sash at the waist. It was also had tank top sleeves and came to her shins. I laid out all her stuff on her bed and went down to the first floor. I sat on the couch, flipped on the T.V. and took off my shoes. Heels and my feet don't mix; they give my feet blisters after a while. So, naturally I wanted to wear them for the shortest possible time.

After Kate taught everyone how to work a shower and everyone was all clean and dressed, it was one thirty. "Francesca's late." I pointed out. "Watch her ring the doorbell right now just because you said that." My sister gave me a look. Sure enough, the doorbell rang. Francesca walked in a moment later with Kate. "I told you." Kate smirked. "Shut up." I told her. "We look all spiffy." Francesca had straightened her hair and was wearing a peachy orange-ish dress that came to the middle of her shins. "Yes, yes we do." I said. "Now, we wait for Natalie. And then we go." Kate stated. "Gandalf is in charge while we're gone." I pointed to said wizard. "Olympia! Put your shoes on, we're leaving soon!" Kate scolded me. "Meep." I replied as I put the shoes back on. "What does meep mean?" Sam asked. "It doesn't mean anything; it's just a thing Olympia says." Kate explained. "Meep." I nodded. Almost everyone in the room laughed, smiled, or chuckled at that. "Alright, if you need anything while we're out, our cell phone numbers are on the refrigerator. Just pick up the phone and push the buttons with the same numbers on them." Kate told the Fellowship, while I picked up the phone to help demonstrate what she was saying. Natalie arrived about five minutes later and we left. "Bye guys! See you later tonight!" I yelled as we left. "Or possibly early tomorrow morning." Kate added. "Don't wait up for us!" both of us said at the same time. Natalie and Francesca laughed and we piled into Kate's car.

**Author's note: Bam! There goes Chapter Eight. The next chapter will probably start from the POV of one of the members of the Fellowship, then switch to Olympia's POV. Let the record show that 'meep' is not an actual word. That has never stopped me from saying it but I thought you should know. REVIEW PLEASE! **


	9. Chapter 9

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS! NATALIE AND KATE OWN THEMSELVES! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND KATE!**

Chapter Nine

Legolas POV

I was worried; I believe the others were too. We needed to get back to Middle Earth and destroy the Ring. "Gandalf, how much longer do you think we will be in this world?" Aragorn asked. "I do not know. We will find a way back to Middle Earth eventually." Gandalf answered. "Do you think _he_ can get here? To this world I mean." Sam asked. "That would mean that the war would move to this world, and the people here would become involved in it." I said. "Legolas is right. The people of this earth would have a war on their hands far more dangerous than any I think they have seen. However, I do not think that Sauron can reach us here. Lady Olympia and Lady Kate are intelligent young women; they might be able to find us a way back to Middle Earth." Gandalf continued. "What of their friends, Miss Francesca and Miss Natalie?" Sam inquired. "They as well are intelligent people from what I have observed." Gandalf stated. "Lady Natalie and Lady Olympia also have potential to be good fighters from what I saw in their training session this morning. It seems unusual to me that such young women would learn to fight." Aragorn pointed out. I nodded in agreement. "Indeed, the customs of this world differ greatly from our own." Gandalf responded.

I soon became lost in my thoughts. _This world still seems quite unusual to me. The food and customs are so different from the ones I have known. How are we going to return to Middle Earth? What will happen to Ladies, Kate, Francesca, Natalie and Olympia when we do return home? What would happen if there is no way for us to return to Middle Earth? What if Sauron was able to get to this world and the war did move here? Would Lady Olympia's and Lady Natalie's skills be able to help them? How would Lady Olympia and her companions react to that? Why am I worrying about them like this? They seem responsible enough to take care of themselves. _After a while conversation died out and silence ensued. "Could we watch more of that thing?" Pippin asked, gesturing to the strange screen that was mounted on the wall. I believe it was called a television. "I do not see how it would cause any harm." Gandalf smiled at the young Halfling.

After a while the Halflings, Aragorn, Boromir and the dwarf all became lost in the story that was playing on the television. Gandalf seemed as though lost in thought. I was staring out the window at the now setting sun. Lady Olympia's dog, Bella, trotted over to me and sat at my feet. I smiled at the small and furry creature and played with her. "I'm hungry." Pippin broke the silence that had fallen over us. "You're always hungry Pippin." Merry replied. "Didn't Miss Kate and Miss Olympia tell us to call them on that device they call a phone if we needed anything?" Sam asked. "Good idea Sam." Frodo piped up. "Where is the phone?" Boromir inquired. I glanced at the phone, which sat on a small table near me. "Here it is." I announced as I picked it up. "Legolas, would you please call either Lady Kate or Lady Olympia?" Gandalf asked. I nodded and walked into the kitchen. After finding the piece of paper on the refrigerator with Lady Kate's and Lady Olympia's phone numbers on them, I followed Lady Kate's instructions and typed in the number on the phone and put it up to my ear. "Hello?" Lady Olympia answered after a moment. "Hello." I said. "Legolas? Is that you?" she asked "Yes, it's me." I answered. "Oh my god! What happened? Is something wrong? Did someone get hurt or something?" Lady Olympia sounded panicked. "Nothing is wrong and no one was injured." I assured her. "Then what do you need?" she inquired. I could imagine her raising her eyebrow the way she does when she is confused. "Pippin is hungry and wants to know where the food is." I explained. Lady Olympia laughed. "In the refrigerator, there should be some foods like carrots, or tomatoes or apples or something. You can all help yourselves." she stated. "Thank you." I thanked her. "Bye! I'll see you when we get back!" she said. I pushed another button and put the phone back where I had found it. I also told my companions what Lady Olympia had said about the food. After getting something to eat, everyone went back to their previous activities for a time. By this time the sun had completely set and the outside world was dark. I sat back down on the couch and took a bite out of an apple. After a while I heard the sound of approaching footsteps and the voices of Lady Natalie and Lady Olympia and laughter from outside.

*Olympia POV*

"Give it back!" Natalie yelled as she chased me across our front yard. I clutched her purse to my chest and ran in circles, cackling evilly. I had ditched my shoes so I could run and they were in my other hand. "That's what you get for calling me short! I'm not short, I'm 5'6!" I laughed. "Oh just give her the bag back and let's get inside." Kate called. "Fine." I pouted and threw Natalie's handbag back to her. She caught it and stuck her tongue out at me. At this point I had to put my shoes back on. Francesca laughed as we walked up to the front door. Kate searched through her purse for a while. "Shit! Where are they?" she shouted. "Where are what?" Francesca asked. "My house keys! I left them in the house!" Kate face-palmed. "Smooth move sis." I smirked. "Do you have your keys?" she responded. "No, I thought you had yours." I countered. "How are we getting in now?" Natalie changed the subject. "I think we left the back door open. I'll go around and check there." I stated. "If not, could you go in a window? They're not locked." Kate told me. "You want me to break into my own house?" I teased. "Yes!" Kate laughed. "Alright!" I clapped my hands together.

I walked to the gate and around to the backyard. I accidently set off the motion activated light on our porch when I reached the door. Of course, the back door was locked. "Well now I guess I have to break into my own house, while wearing a dress. There's something I never thought I'd have to do." I mumbled to myself as I went to the window of the downstairs guest room. The window was open and it was low enough for me to reach so I opened the screen and climbed up and sat on the window sill. Then I swung my legs over the window sill and jumped down into the house. I had made a lot of noise and I hoped no one would come after me. Unfortunately for me, that was not the case. "Who is in here?" I heard Legolas yell from somewhere in the room. "It's just me, Olympia!" I answered, stumbling my way to the door and flipping on the lights. Legolas lowered his bow and looked at me, shocked. "Kate left her house keys in here and the back door was locked. So I had to climb in the window to unlock the door for everyone else." I explained. "I apologize. I thought you may have been someone else." Legolas said. "It's okay. Come on; let's go let everyone in." I smiled and we left the room.

"What the hell took so long?" Natalie asked as I let her, Francesca and Kate into the house. "Well, the back door was locked. So I had to climb in the guest room in the window, and I almost got shot while doing that." I told her. "Oh." She replied. I rolled my eyes. "Alright, so you're going home now. But you're coming over tomorrow right?" Kate asked. "Yep!" Natalie and Francesca both answered at the same time. "Awesome." I smiled. Francesca and Natalie got their stuff, we said our 'good night's', and they left. "So what did you guys do while we were at the party?" Kate asked, running a hand through her hair. It's a habit of hers and she does it every so often. "We did not do much." Aragorn answered. "That's cool." She shrugged. "I'm going to go change." I announced. "Oh, but you looked so pretty!" Kate whined. "You took pictures." I replied, already halfway up the stairs. Kate didn't reply, but knowing my sister, she was staring daggers after me. I chuckled to myself and changed into my pajamas. I heard Kate come up the stairs. "I'm changing too." She called. "See! Even you get sick of a dress after a while!" I smiled as I undid the braid in my hair. "Oh shut up!" Kate laughed.

After we changed we went back downstairs to the living room. It was about 10:30 by now but we really didn't care. I flipped the T.V. on and started channel surfing. "Anything good on?" Kate asked. I stopped on one of the movie channels and smiled. "Does 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl' count as good in your book?" I grinned at my sister. "Hell yeah it does! Why do you ask such stupid questions?" she smacked my arm playfully and I laughed, putting on the movie. "What is this?" Aragorn asked. "Do you all remember what a movie is?" I turned to the Fellowship. They all nodded. "This is a movie called 'Pirates of the Caribbean.' It's actually a trilogy and it's really good." Kate continued. "Just watch." I said.

Towards the end of the movie, I was hanging upside down on the couch as I usually do. Pippin yawned and Merry started dozing off. "Are you guys tired? We could finish the movie another time." I offered. Merry and Pippin both sat straight up at that. "No, we're not tired. Right Merry? We want to see the end of the movie." Pippin stated. Merry nodded sleepily. "If you say so." I held my hands up in surrender. After the movie, I think we were all really tired so Kate told everyone it was time for bed and we had to go to sleep. I laughed when Merry and Pippin protested, saying they weren't tired, then yawning and stumbling to their room. I walked back to my room and fell asleep.

~~~~~meep~~~~~meep~~~~~meep~~~~~

The next morning, I woke up earlier than I thought I would after the previous night's party. My clock read 6:45 when I got out of bed. _What normal person wakes up at this time after partying and Ju Jitsu class and watching movies? _I wondered as I made my way downstairs to the living room. I found that only three members of the Fellowship were up. Gandalf, Aragorn and Legolas. "Good morning!" I smiled when I saw them. "Good morning Lady Olympia." Legolas said. "Is there anything we are doing today?" Gandalf asked. "Nope! The weather today is supposed to be crappy, so we're staying inside." I replied, sitting down cross legged on the couch next to Legolas. "Crappy?" Aragorn raised an eyebrow at me. I laughed because I never thought I'd ever hear Aragorn say something like that. "It means that it's not going to be a nice day. It's supposed to rain and thunder and lightning and stuff. Not good for going out and doing stuff." I explained. Aragorn nodded. "Do you know if there is a way for us to get back to Middle Earth?" Legolas asked after a few minutes of awkward silence. "I'm not sure. If there is, we'll find it. And if not, I can promise that we'll try." I told him, somewhat surprised at the determination in my voice. Legolas nodded.

After a while, Kate, Boromir, Gimli and the hobbits woke up. "Olympia? You're up before me. It must be the apocalypse." Kate joked and widened her eyes. "If it's the apocalypse, then where are the zombies?" I raised an eyebrow. "I was joking Olympia." Kate pointed out. "And I was being sarcastic." I smirked. "You suck." Kate whispered. I laughed. "So, breakfast. What are we having?" I asked. "We have cereal." Kate suggested. "That works." I replied. "Okay." Kate agreed. After eating a breakfast of any kind of cereal we had in the house, Kate gave the Fellowship back the clothes they arrived in. After that, I changed out of my pajamas. I put on a short sleeved shirt, hoodie and a pair of shorts. It was one of those rainy cool days in summer where if you wanted to, you could wear a pair of jeans or a hoodie. I like hoodies, so that's what I wore. I was paranoid and I had a feeling that whatever brought the Fellowship here was going to bring us back with them. _Dear God, I must be crazy! I should listen to Kate, that's not going to happen. But, what if?_

**Author's note: Ooh, semi-cliffhanger-ish ending. How did you all like getting inside Legolas's head for a bit? Should I switch into Fellowship POVs again? Well, sometime in the next chapter, our four insane OCS will get to Middle Earth. Will everything go smoothly with their arrival? What will happen to them if it doesn't? How will they react to hopping universes? Will I stop asking you questions you don't know the answers to? Probably not but stay tuned to find out! REVIEW PLEASE! **


	10. Chapter 10

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND KATE!**

Chapter Ten

Olympia's POV

After changing, I went back down to the basement where everyone was gathered and sat cross legged on my special purple beanbag chair. If you haven't already noticed, my favorite color is purple. "What do you want to do until Natalie and Francesca get here?" Kate asked. I shrugged and started petting Bella. She, being a dog, could sense the storm that was coming and was anxious. Bella whimpered and leaned her head on my lap. I unconsciously started petting her. "Shh, it's going to be okay." I whispered to my puppy. She looked up at me with her huge brown puppy eyes as if to ask, 'Really?' "Why don't we just chill out until they come?" I suggested. "Let's see if there's anything good on T.V." Kate picked up the remote and started channel surfing. I was still trying to calm Bella and Legolas looked at me, curious. "Is something wrong with her?" he asked. "She can sense the storm coming and it's making her anxious." I replied and Bella whimpered again. "Olympia, catch!" Kate threw one of Bella's chew toys to me. I caught it and gave it to her. She barked and started chewing it. Her bark sounded more like a squeak than anything else. I smiled. "SpongeBob's on!" Kate shrieked. "Put in on then!" I told her. Yes, we're young adults who still watch SpongeBob when it's on.

After a few episodes of SpongeBob, the doorbell rang. "I got it!" I announced and ran to go let my friends in. By this point it had started raining and I didn't want them getting soaked. "What's up?" I asked as I let Francesca and Natalie into the house. "Other than the fact that it's pouring out, nothing." Natalie answered. We all went downstairs and my friends plopped themselves down on the couch. We watched T.V. for a while longer and Bella decided she wanted to go and wait out the storm in a kind of storm shelter we had set up for occasions like this. It was a room in the same short hallway as the laundry room and had a bunch of her chew toys, a dog bed and things like that. Out of absolute boredom, I started singing the first song that popped into my head. Kate started laughing at the sight of it. I guess me hanging upside down on a beanbag chair, air guitar-ing, head bobbing and singing 'Blaze of Glory' by Bon Jovi is funny. "What's so funny?" Francesca asked. She had been paying attention to the SpongeBob marathon on nickelodeon. "Look at Olympia." Kate stated. "Shot down in a blaze of glory. Take me down, but know the truth. But I'm going down in a blaze of glory." I sang. Natalie threw a nearby pillow at me, successfully hitting me in the face. "Blech, pillows taste bad." I commented. "Well, what did you expect?" Francesca laughed. "Not feathers, that's for sure." I answered, brushing some stray feathers off of me. These pillows were old, shedding feathers had definitely seen better days. Francesca, Kate, and Natalie all burst into laughter. "What?" I raised an eyebrow at them. "That's what she said!" Natalie choked through her giggles. "Oh! Get your minds out of the gutter people!" I threw the pillow back at Natalie and made a face. Sometimes my friends are really perverted.

The storm had picked up and was now a full blown monsoon. The rain came down in sheets, but there was no thunder at the moment. "Do you guys want to play UNO?" Kate asked. _She's putting her plan into action! I can picture dramatic music playing right now. Either that or a thunder clap or something. _"What is UNO?" Gimli asked. Kate was about to answer when a loud clap of thunder sounded outside. _Called it. _"It's a card game." Kate told him, getting up to get the UNO cards. When she got back, we explained how to play. "What does UNO mean?" Merry asked as Kate shuffled and dealt out the cards to everyone. "It means one in Spanish and you have to shout 'Uno!' when you have one card left." I explained. "What is Spanish?" Legolas asked. "It's a language." Kate told him. "Do you speak it?" Aragorn asked. "Yes. I took it in school, so did Kate and Natalie. Also, Kate and I are Spanish on my dad's side so our grandma or abuela taught us some when we were younger." I said. "I took Italian. It's another language." Francesca added. "Can you speak some for us?" Sam asked. "Hay que hablar español para ellos?" (Should we speak Spanish for them?) Natalie smiled. "Sí." (Yes) I nodded. "Qué debemos hablar?" (What should we talk about?) Kate asked. "El tiempo." (The weather) Natalie suggested. "Es terrible." (It's terrible) I shouted over the loud clap of thunder that shook my house. My friends and sister laughed at the irony and I couldn't help but laugh along.

After speaking some more Spanish for the Fellowship and Francesca speaking some Italian, we started the game of UNO. This time around, I was winning. That's when Kate made it her personal mission to use all of her skip cards and all those types of things on me whenever she could. Francesca and Natalie were doing the same thing to the people next to them; Boromir was next to Natalie and Frodo was next to Francesca. Unfortunately for Kate, I was able to peek at her cards once in a while and see what she had. At the moment, the color was green. I didn't have any green so I put down my wild card that caused the next person to draw four cards. "Red." I smirked. Most of my cards were red. This earned me some evil glares, especially from Legolas. He had had only two cards left and now he had to draw four. "Maltida sea. Yo no tengo tarjetas rojas." (Damn it. I don't have red cards.) Kate whispered. "Sucks for you." I told her. The games went on like this for a while. I won two rounds. Kate, being an UNO champ, won five. Legolas won one round, Francesca and Natalie each won two rounds and Gandalf won three. We played for a while longer and eventually, everyone had won at least one round.

Then, there was a loud roll of thunder and the lights flickered. I let out a small scream at the noise. "What is wrong?" Legolas looked over at me concerned. "Nothing, thunder has just always scared me." I answered. Kate nodded in agreement. Lightning constantly lit up the sky and I could see it through the window near the ceiling, ground level since we were in the basement. It wasn't the lightning that scared me, it was the thunder. I flinched every time thunder rolled outside and Legolas gave me a look every time I did. At one point, the storm was closer to my house, making for louder thunder. BOOM! Thunder cracked above us and lightning lit up the room for a second. I flinched and the lights went out. This time however, they didn't come back on. "Well, now what?" Natalie asked from somewhere ahead of me. I couldn't see at all so I couldn't tell where anyone was. "I don't know!" Francesca answered. "Do we have a flashlight down here?" I asked. "Somewhere." Kate answered vaguely. I started drumming my fingers on the floor and someone put their hand on mine. I assumed it was my sister so I squeezed the hand lightly.

Suddenly, there was a crackling sound and the T.V. lit up the room with the evil blue screen of death. "Again?" Natalie shouted at the ceiling. At this point I looked at the hand I was still holding. I looked up at the person, but quickly turned away, blushing. It was Legolas who had been holding my hand. _I really freaking hope he can't see how red my face is getting. _I thought, feeling my face heat up as I blushed. "What's up with the T.V.?" Kate asked no one in particular. Just then, a swirling vortex appeared on the screen and the room lit up with a bright blue-ish light. I took my hand out of Legolas's and shielded my face against the light. Then something started pulling us towards the T.V. I remember my friends, sister and me screaming bloody murder, Bella barking and the feeling of falling. Then there was darkness and I blacked out.

When I came to again the first thing I saw was the very blurry image of Kate standing over me. Or sitting, I couldn't really tell. "You're okay!" she shrieked. "Yes, I'm okay. I can't see. Oww, my head!" I had a headache of epic proportions. "My head hurts too. Take your glasses off, it worked for me." Francesca added. I followed her advice and took my glasses off. Surprisingly, I was able to see perfectly without them, and I mean like, perfectly. It was weird. I had never been able to see so clearly in my life. That was when I got a good look around. We weren't in my basement anymore; we were in the middle of the wilderness. It was quickly getting dark out and it was cold. I looked around me for my friends and the Fellowship. Francesca, Kate and I were awake. Natalie was still unconscious nearby. "Wait a minute, what happened to our clothes? And what happened to Francesca? Kate, is this how a hangover feels?" I asked as my head started throbbing again. I asked Kate because on New Year's Eve, she went to a party and drank a bit too much and complained about a hangover for a good majority of the next day. Argh, My head felt like it was in a freaking vice. Francesca was now only about three feet tall, and she had hairy feet. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Look down. And to answer your question, no; hangovers are worse than this." Kate said. "Oh my God! I'm a hobbit!" Francesca yelled, drawing the attention of the Fellowship. They all looked very relieved that we had woken up. "How do you feel?" Aragorn asked us. "Our heads hurt." Francesca replied. "Meep. Francesca's a hobbit now." I smiled. "We have new clothes." Kate pointed out, looking down at her clothes.

That we did. I wasn't wearing shorts and a hoodie anymore. I had dark brown leggings and boots, a burgundy-ish colored tunic on and a brown cloak. I also had a belt with two fighting knives sheathed on it strapped to my hips. Kate was wearing black leggings and boots, a dark blue-grey tunic and a sword and a dagger at her hip. She was also wearing a cloak that was the same blue-grey color as her tunic. Francesca had brown pants, for lack of a better word, an off-white shirt, a cloak and a short sword. "Why does my head feel like I was hit with a ton of freaking bricks?" Natalie asked. "You're awake! Welcome back to the land of the living!" I called. "Shut up." She whispered. "What happened to our normal clothes?" she asked. "I don't know." Kate shrugged. Natalie was now wearing a red tunic, black leggings and boots, a cloak and she had a sword. "Francesca, you're short and have hairy feet." Natalie pointed out. "I know." She answered. "Now what?" I asked. "We cannot travel anymore today. We must rest for the night." Gandalf told us. "Does that mean we're coming with you now?" Kate raised an eyebrow. "Yes, you must accompany us. We cannot turn back." The wizard answered. _Holy shit! For one, I didn't think Kate's plan would actually work! It was actually crazy enough to work. Go figure. Two, we're going on the quest! We should probably learn how to use these weapons then. _I thought.

"Kate, Olympia! Your ears are pointy!" Natalie yelled. "What?" Kate and I turned to our friend. "You heard me. Your. Ears. Are. Freaking. Pointy." She responded. My eyes widened as I reached up to feel the tips of my ears. Sure enough, they were pointed now. "Oh my God." I whispered. "We're elves." Kate stated. "If we're going to go with you on this quest, someone needs to teach us how to use these weapons." Francesca changed the subject. "Yeah, she's right. We have no idea how to use these." Kate agreed. "We will train you in the ways of your new weapons, do not worry about that." Gandalf replied. By this point, someone had started a fire and we sat around it. Francesca was sitting with her legs stretched out and staring at her now hairy feet. Natalie was sitting in between Francesca and Kate and I sat on Kate's other side. I drew my knees up to my chest and listened to the sounds of the night. I felt like trying out my new elf hearing. I heard crickets, cicadas and a bunch of other creatures of the night. Somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted. "What are we going to do?" I whispered softly to my sister after a while. "We're going to follow the quest and stick to the canon as much as possible and not die doing it." Kate whispered back, leaning closer to me so no one else would hear us. I turned to whisper into my sister's now pointed ear. "Easier said than done. Does that mean we can't save Haldir?" I asked. "We'll see. He wasn't supposed to die, but everything else needs to go according to the canon. We can't mess up anything, everything happened for a reason." She answered. "Why do you think we changed into elves?" I wondered out loud. "I don't know. I'm not sure why Francesca's a hobbit either." Kate shrugged. Everyone else had settled down and was sitting around the fire. I pulled my cloak around me tighter and stared into the fire.

_What exactly brought us here? How long were we unconscious? What are we going to do when the Fellowship breaks and everyone goes in different directions? Will we be able to get home after the quest? Why did Francesca, me and Kate change species but Natalie didn't? What are we going to do about sleeping? Is there extra stuff for us or not? Are we fucking up canon simply by being here? If we can't get home after the quest, what are we going to do? Francesca might go live in the Shire with other hobbits. But what about the rest of us? Ugh, why is the universe so confusing? Meep! _

**Author's note: So, there you have it. The girls got to Middle Earth! I'm not sure what made me turn Francesca into a hobbit, I thought she seemed hobbit-ish to me. Francesca also likes hobbits. Natalie requested to stay human for reasons I am not going to tell you yet. And I have no idea why I turned Kate into an elf too, but I have my reasons for me turning into an elf. I'm just not going to say why. I think you can figure it out though. Anywhatsitz, I used Google Translate for my Spanish seeing as I do not speak it fluently. If I'm wrong please tell me! REVIEW PLEASE! **


	11. Chapter 11

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS!**

Chapter Eleven

Olympia's POV

I sat in front of the fire for a long time. Natalie, Francesca, Kate and I were all in shock. We ate when the hobbits offered us food but otherwise we kept quiet and thought. That's what I was doing when Legolas sat down beside me. "Is something troubling you?" he asked. "I don't know. I'm just having a hard time getting adjusted to your world. I've only heard of this place in stories and movies. I never thought I'd actually come here. I'm not going to see any of my family of friends for a long time; and that's assuming we can get home when the quest is over. What are people going to think happened to us? What are they going to do when they discover that we're gone? Will Bella be able to survive on her own until someone finds her? What if we can't get home? I'm rambling, I'm sorry." I looked back to my friends. Francesca was starting to doze off, Kate was staring off into space and Natalie was talking to Boromir. "It is alright. I do not know how your family and friends will react to your absence and I do not know if you will be able to get home again. If there is a way, we will try to find it. If not, I would not worry about that now." Legolas turned to face me and I just looked at him. "I have a question." Kate joined our conversation. "What?" I asked, turning to look at her. "How long were we unconscious?" she asked. "I would say it was not long. It was long enough to cause us to worry about you." Legolas answered.

After I talked to Legolas for a while longer, Natalie, Francesca, Kate and I were given extra blankets and stuff. I lay curled up on my blanket but couldn't sleep. _When are we going to learn how to use these weapons? I can't fight with weapons at all and I'm not sure how much Ju Jitsu would be able to help me if I'm fighting orcs. No, correction; I don't know how much Ju Jitsu would help me when I'm fighting orcs. Emphasis on when. Arrgh! _With these thoughts running wild in my mind, I finally fell asleep.

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Over the days that followed, Francesca, Natalie, Kate and I got more and more used to the idea that this was the real deal. That we were actually going on the quest with the Fellowship of the Ring. Of course we still laughed and joked around to try and keep everyone's spirits up. That part was fun and sometimes consisted of horribly off key singing. My friends, sister and I all still talked and usually walked together but we were steadily making friends with the Fellowship. Francesca would hang out with the hobbits sometimes. Natalie would talk to Bormir a lot. Call me crazy, but I think she liked him. I was kind of worried about that because Boromir is supposed to die and I really didn't want to see Natalie getting all depressed and stuff. Kate would either stick by me, Gandalf or Aragorn or whoever else would talk to her. Kate was a social person and talked to just about anyone who would be willing to talk to her, whereas I was usually quiet and kept to myself at school and when I wasn't with my friends or family. When I'm with friends or family, all bets are off. I did talk to some people though; I talked to Legolas, sometimes Aragorn, the hobbits and of course my sister and Natalie and Francesca. We travelled by day and when we stopped for the night, the Fellowship would train us. Boromir and Aragorn took on the task of training Natalie, Kate and Francesca on how to handle their swords. How they did it I'll never know. Legolas was teaching me how to use my knives and how to shoot a bow. Aragorn let me borrow his bow for that. Kate, Natalie and Francesca were making good progress with their swords and I was able to fight with my knives pretty well. I just sucked with a bow. I mean I was pretty bad. My sister and friends sometimes made jokes, but that's what they do. I knew better than to actually take their jokes as serious insults. Usually I would have a sarcastic comeback ready for their jokes so it was all good.

It was about a week after we had jumped universes into Middle Earth and we had just stopped for the night. That meant it was training time. "What are we doing first? Knives or bow?" I asked Legolas once we had all settled down a bit. "Today I thought we would work with the bow first. You need the most practice with the bow." Legolas told me. I heard Kate snickering as she sparred Aragorn. "Shut it!" I yelled to her. "I didn't say anything." Kate defended. "You laughed." I reminded her. At this, she laughed again and I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I looked over to Francesca and Natalie for a minute. Francesca was watching intently as Natalie and Boromir sparred. I watched too while everyone else was doing other things. Natalie was actually getting really good and could keep up with Bormir for a while. In the end though, Boromir managed to twist Natalie's sword from her hand. Afterwards, Francesca sparred with Boromir for a bit. I didn't get to watch them long because Legolas tapped my shoulder and started teaching me with the bow. Legolas had shot an arrow into the center of a tree and I could still see the mark. That was my target. Like usual, I took my stance and focused on my target. I stared at the center of the tree where Legolas had shot, aimed, took a deep breath and let the arrow loose. And…..bulls eye? Yep, bulls eye! My first one ever. "Woo-hoo! My first bulls-eye! Ever!" I cheered with a stupid grin on my face and hopped up and down on the spot. "That was very good!" Legolas smiled. Without thinking about what the hell I was doing, I pulled him into a hug. The weird thing was he hugged me back for a split second. After I let him go, Legolas raised an eyebrow at me and I blushed furiously. _Damn it! What did I just do?! _

"Nice shot sis!" Kate called as I went to the tree to get the arrow back and Francesca gave me a thumbs-up. I passed Natalie while walking back and she stopped me for a minute. "I saw that." She whispered quietly so only I could hear her. "Damn you." I knew exactly what she was talking about and matched her quiet tone of voice then walked back over to Legolas. I practiced shooting for a while longer and I was getting better. Slowly. After that, I gave Aragorn back his bow and we started training with my knives. I stretched out a bit first; I was stalling a bit because I wanted to put off my ass-kicking as long as I could. I was pretty good with my knives yes; I wouldn't die in a battle. Be that as it may, Legolas was much better than me. It's like Natalie trying to fight Chuck Norris.

I turned to face Legolas, unsheathed my knives and took a fighting stance. We circled each other for a moment. Kate and Natalie had stopped training to watch and were sitting off to the side with Francesca. Natalie whispered something to Francesca and my hobbit friend smacked Natalie's leg. Legolas must have seen the opportunity to attack me and took a stab at me. I turned to the side, blocked him with one of my knives and swiped at his ribs with the other. He quickly moved out of the way and took a step back. There was a pause for a moment as I tried to think about what to do next. I moved closer and tried to hit him in the chest; he blocked and spun to the side. Realizing he was now behind me I whirled around just in time to block a strike to the face. I pushed his knife away and stabbed at his ribs. I missed and stumbled forward a few steps. Legolas used this to try and trip me. My Ju Jitsu training kicked in and I did a roll and turned around to face him. Then I decided to take the offense, striking at him as fast as I could go. He blocked all of my strikes and knocked one of my knives out of my hand. _Grr. Ah crap. _I thought as Legolas and I started circling each other again. Legolas swiped one of his knives at my head. I ducked and stepped around so I was behind him. From this position, I pressed my remaining knife against his throat. "Holy crap!" Natalie exclaimed and I smiled. However, my victory didn't last long. Legolas spun away from my knife and somehow wound up behind me with one knife on either side of my neck. _So close!_ I scowled and turned around to look at him. "That was very good, but you got distracted." Legolas said as he withdrew his knives from my neck. "You cannot let that happen in battle. It would not bode well for you and you may get injured." He continued as I went to pick up my knife off the ground. "I understand." I nodded and sheathed my knives.

By this time, there was food ready and we all sat down to eat. I sat in between Francesca and Kate. "You guys did pretty well today. I watched you for a little bit." I told them. "Thanks. Watching you fight Legolas was pretty fun." Francesca replied. "Even if you did get your ass kicked." Natalie added from her spot beside Francesca. She was teasing me and we all knew it. I stuck my tongue out at her and she laughed, as did Kate and Francesca. Once dinner was eaten and everything packed away, we all just kinda hung around. Francesca and Natalie had moved and were now sitting across the fire from Kate and I. Kate sat on my left and Legolas had come to sit on my other side. I randomly back rolled to get some space and stretched out some more. "What are you doing?" Kate asked. "Stretching. I'm bored and I didn't stretch enough earlier." I explained. "How is walking all day and training not enough stretching?" Francesca commented. "It's mainly because I'm bored and I want to practice Ju Jitsu. Okay?" I told her. "Well, why didn't you say so?" Natalie got up from the conversation she was having with Boromir and came to practice with me. We practiced some of the techniques we had been learning in the adult class because we needed practice with them. We practiced for a bit and by the time I went back to my spot between Legolas and Kate I was nursing a bruise in my left forearm and one on my right wrist. Natalie had a couple bruises on her wrist and arm too. What can I say? Wrist locks and judo throws will do that to someone. It doesn't really bother Kate and Francesca unless one of us gets seriously hurt. "How did you do that?" Francesca asked. "Do what?" I furrowed my eyebrows. "The wrist thing that Natalie did when you fell on your knees." She clarified. "That's one of the things we were working on in class a while back. I forgot the name but it really hurts." Natalie answered. Francesca nodded and then we decided it was time to get some rest. We all spread out our blankets and most people went to sleep while we set a rotating watch.

I sat and stared into the dying fire for a little while. Legolas was still sitting next to me. "You seem tired, Lady Olympia. Why do you not rest?" he asked. "I'm not sure." I shrugged. "You really did do well in training today." He complimented me. "Thanks." I smiled weakly and very likely blushed because Legolas chuckled a little at my reply. I rolled up my sleeve and started rubbing my arm where I had bruised it while training with Natalie. It didn't help that this arm was already bruised from where I had hit myself with the bowstring a couple times. Legolas looked at my arm and asked, "What happened to your arm?" I looked down at my arm; the bruise was about an inch or so big but it hurt. Not enough for me to complain about though, just enough for the pain to be uncomfortable. But hey, Ju Jitsu is a contact sport and bowstrings hurt. Not a huge deal though. "Nothing, I just bruised it training with Natalie earlier." I shrugged. Legolas looked concerned but said nothing. I yawned and rested my head on my knees. Legolas laughed again and just looked at me. "See, you are tired. You should rest." He pointed out. "Alright, alright. I'll go to sleep." I smiled, laid back and rolled onto my side. "Good night Legolas." I said. "Good night, Lady Olympia." Legolas responded. "Please, just call me Olympia. The formal titles annoy me." I told him, finally getting fed up with being called 'Lady'. "Well then, good night…Olympia." Legolas hesitated a bit at not calling me 'Lady.' I smiled and fell asleep.

**Author's note: Grr! More fluffiness! I have no idea why, but I was in a strangely fluffy mood as I wrote this chapter, so yeah. Please don't come after me if you explode due to fluff overload. *sigh* I need to stop being fluffy. The next chapter might take a while because I'll have to scour the internet for movie clips. If anyone knows where I might be able to find them I would appreciate the help very much! Anyway, REVIEW PLEASE! **


	12. Chapter 12

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS! I DO NOT OWN NATALIE AND FRANCESCA, THEY OWN THEMSELVES! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS! **

Chapter Twelve

Olympia's POV

I'm not sure how long we travelled until we all needed a rest. We found a place on a hill with a bunch of rocks and we all sat down. Boromir had decided to teach Merry and Pippin a bit of swordplay and they were practicing. Natalie and Francesca were sparring a little way's apart from them. Aragorn, Kate and I were sitting nearby and watching. Aragorn was smoking his pipe. Frodo and Sam were sitting on a rock ledge somewhat above us with plates of food. Gandalf and Gimli were sitting and talking and Legolas was on watch duty.

"We must hold this course west of the Misty Mountains for forty days, if our luck holds, the Gap of Rohan will still be open to us. From there our road turns east to Mordor." Gandalf said from where he was sitting a few yards off from me. However, thanks to my new elf senses, I was able to hear him perfectly. _This is going to take a lot of getting used to. _I thought as I pondered said heightened senses. "2..1..5. Good, very good." Boromir said to Pippin as they trained. "Move your feet." Aragorn coached from the sidelines. "You block good Pippin." Merry complimented. "Thanks." Pippin replied. "Faster." Boromir said as he started striking at Merry. Francesca and Natalie were still sparring. Francesca was having a tough time keeping up with Natalie. Francesca was faster but Natalie had her Ju Jitsu training working for her. "Trip her, Francey Pants!" I called to them. "But that's not fair!" Natalie protested. "Life isn't fair!" Kate commented with a laugh. Natalie was about to say something back when Francesca took my suggestion and tripped Natalie, who promptly fell on her ass. "Karma for waking me up early." I told her. "I thought you already got me for that." Natalie stated. "Not really. All I did was noogie you until Kate broke us up. That, meaning what just happened, was much better revenge." I smiled. Natalie glared at me. I then turned my attention to Gandalf and Gimli as I felt like eavesdropping on their conversation.

"If anyone was to ask for my opinion, which I note they're not, I'd say we were taking the long way around. Gandalf, we could pass through the Mines of Moria. My cousin Balin would give us a royal welcome." Gimli pointed out. "No Gimli, I would not take the road through Moria unless I had no other choice." Gandalf turned to face the dwarf. Legolas ran over from his spot and stood on a rock near Gimli. Pippin cried out in pain as Boromir accidently hit his hand with his sword. I looked back over to them. "I'm sorry!" Boromir apologized. This was met with Pippin kicking him in the shins. "Get him!" Merry shouted and the two hobbits tackled Boromir to the ground. "For the Shire!" Merry yelled. Natalie and Francesca stopped to watch. Aragorn chuckled and Kate and I were failing at stifling our laughter. "Hold him! Hold him! Merry!" Pippin shouted. Francesca and Natalie looked at each other, shrugged, and also ran to tackle Boromir. I think that, if it were possible, Kate and I would have died laughing. I bit my lip in an attempt to stop laughing but failed when Natalie tripped over Francesca and fell on top poor Boromir, who was already fighting to keep three hobbits off him. "Gentlemen that's enough." Aragorn went over and tried to pull Merry and Pippin off Boromir. Said hobbits just pulled on the backs of his legs and Aragorn fell on his back with a thud. I was doubled over with laughter and leaning on Kate at this point. Kate wasn't much better and was silent laughing trying to catch her breath.

"What is that?" Sam asked, looking up at the sky. This caught my attention and I looked to see what I knew were the Crebain from Dunland flying in our direction. _Oh Joy! _I thought sarcastically and stopped laughing immediately after. "Nothing, it's but a wisp of cloud." Gimli answered. "It's moving fast, against the wind." Boromir pointed out as he helped Natalie back to her feet; she was tomato red. _Now is not the time but eventually I will have to interrogate that girl. _"Crebain from Dunland!" Legolas yelled. "Hide!" Aragorn shouted. "Hurry!" Boromir urged. I quickly looked around and saw a bush nearby. There were also some of our supplies between me and the bush. Shit. I took a short running start and scooped up a bag in my arms as I dive rolled into the bush. But of course, I just _had_ to pick the same hiding place as Legolas. I had misjudged either the distance between me and the bush or the distance I had rolled because I was only half in the bushes when I finished the roll. Legolas took my free arm; the other was holding the bag I picked up, and pulled me into the bushes. Good thing too, because a second later the demonic birds were flying overhead. Let me tell you, the screeches of those things were like nails on a chalkboard. And then you multiply that by about a hundred because there were almost that many demon birds. I flinched slightly at the noise and looked over to Natalie who, along with Boromir, was hiding in another bunch of bushes nearby. She was staring up at the birds with her signature 'Shut the fuck up' face. I made a mental note that Legolas was still holding onto my arm.

Once the demon birds were gone, we all slowly came out of hiding. Legolas offered me his hand and helped me up. Once I was back on my feet, I glared daggers after the demon birds. "Spies of Saruman. The passage south is being watched." Gandalf proclaimed as we all got up and gathered around him. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Boromir and Natalie were still standing together. This only made me want to interrogate my friend more. "We must take the pass of Caradhras." Gandalf continued, staring towards the ominous looking mountain ahead of us. _That means snow, which means Natalie, Francesca or Kate will start a snowball fight. Or possibly me. That could quite possibly spell disaster for all of us. Although, it would be kind of fun to pelt them with snowballs. _I thought with an evil grin in Francesca's direction. My hobbit friend was the most likely to start a snowball fight on her own or help me start one.

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We had only just started our trek up the mountain and for the moment, I was pretty happy because I love the cold. Being elves, Kate, Legolas and I were able to walk on top of the snow and that was really cool. "I want to know how the hell they can do that." Natalie whispered to Francesca as they trudged through the stuff next to me. I looked at her with a huge smile and shrugged. Just then, Frodo stumbled and lost his footing in the snow. This caused him to fall and roll down the mountain a bit. "Frodo!" Aragorn rushed forward a bit to stop the hobbit and help him back to his feet. Frodo dusted himself off and searched his neck for the Ring. Said Ring was lying in the snow a few yards away from him. I death glared the thing for a minute, then Boromir picked it up and just stared at it. Aragorn gave him a look and Gandalf stopped to watch. I bit my lip. "Boromir." Aragorn tried to catch the man's attention, but failed. "It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing. Such a little thing." Boromir whispered to himself. I bit harder on my lip as I watched him reach up to the Ring with his free hand. "Boromir!" Aragorn yelled. This seemed to snap Boromir out of his musings and he looked over to Aragorn. I raised an eyebrow at Boromir in a slightly skeptical look and Kate looked at him warily. "Give the Ring to Frodo." Aragorn never once broke eye contact with Boromir as he said this. Boromir hesitated a moment then walked over to Frodo. "As you wish. I care not." He said as he handed the Ring back to Frodo and ruffled his hair a bit before walking back towards the front of the group where the rest of us had been watching intently. Aragorn stared after him and slowly took his hand away from the handle of his sword.

I decided to walk with Francesca at this point and we walked together for a while. "Francey Pants, I have an idea." I whispered to her. "What's your idea?" she asked. "Do you want to start a snowball fight?" I smiled broadly down at my friend. She looked up at me and her brown eyes met my green ones. She smiled and answered, "Hell yeah!" I laughed a bit and Gimli gave me a weird look. I raised an eyebrow at him in response. "I know just who our first victim I going to be." Francesca whispered to me with an evil smile. "Who?" I smirked. She just stooped down, made a snowball and looked pointedly at Boromir. My eyes widened. "I'm not sure that's a good idea." I warned her. "I'm not either, but that's not going to stop me." Francesca answered as she launched the snowball at Boromir. I stifled my giggles as he whirled around and glared at Francesca. "Natalie did it!" Francesca yelled and pointed at Natalie, who was next to us. "What?" was all she had time to say before Boromir threw a snowball back at her. I laughed and Francesca threw some snow up at me. I made a snowball myself and aimed it at Natalie. Natalie took a few steps back and I smiled, turned and nailed Legolas in the back of the head. He turned around and looked at us in surprise. "It was Olympia." My sister gave me up in a heartbeat. "Oh come on! Did you have to?" I protested. "Yes, I did." She answered. I opened my mouth to give her a sarcastic comment and promptly got a face full of snow. Natalie turned to laugh at me and Boromir hit her in the side of the head with a snowball. I wiped some snow off my face and glared at Legolas, who was laughing at me. I picked up some snow and decided to get the hobbits involved in this. _I'll get Legolas later. _I decided.

"What was that?" Pippin yelped as he was hit with my snowball. "That was a snowball Pippin!" I called, attempting to dodge snowballs that both Legolas and Kate were pelting me with. Legolas always got me and only a few of Kate's hit me. Soon enough, Merry, Pippin, Aragorn, and Gimli were all participating in our free for all snow war. Even Sam played for a bit, but decided he had enough when Natalie, Merry and Pippin all teamed up on him. Frodo wisely chose to watch from the sidelines. Gandalf had stopped and was just watching us and shaking his head. A snowball hit me in the side of the face and I quickly turned to glare at Kate as I suspected her of throwing it at me. She shook her head and pointed at Merry and Pippin. I turned my evil glare on them and they just threw more snow at me. I hit each one of them with one more snowball before I decided to get my revenge on Legolas. He was currently dodging snowballs from Aragorn, Gimli, Natalie and Boromir. Surprisingly, they had made a temporary truce. Natalie had built a fort that she and her allies were hiding behind. I ran and positioned myself across from the fort so that I was behind Legolas. I then started throwing snowballs at him in rapid fire succession. He turned to see who else had decided to pelt him with snow and gave me a smirk. I furrowed my eyebrows and Natalie threw a snowball at me. While I was focused on Natalie, someone pulled the hood of my cloak over my head. It's not that that annoyed me, it was the fact that my hood had been filled with snow first. I squealed as some of the snow found its way into the back of my tunic and slid down my back. It was cold damn it to hell! For a minute I jumped around like an idiot trying to get the snow out of my shirt. I pulled my hood down and shook off the snow before turning around to see none other than Legolas, standing there with a victorious smile on his face and trying not to laugh. _Oh he is going to pay for that one. _I thought. Kate had apparently seen this whole thing and gave me a knowing look and motioned for me to come over to her. I rolled my eyes and snowball fought my way over to my sister.

"What?" I whispered. "Two things. One; You have a crush on Legolas. I know you do." She started. _Damn her she's good. There's no point in trying to deny it. She knows! How obvious is it?_ "Yes. If you tell anyone I will be forced to kill you." I sighed and blushed. "I know. Two; I'll distract him so you can get him back." She smiled. "Just one question. Was it obvious?" I asked. "Not really. I just know you so well." Kate answered. I shrugged and snuck up behind Legolas who, at this point was locked in a snow battle with the hobbits and Gimli. Natalie and Boromir had broken their temporary truce and were fighting each other again. Kate made a snowball and hit Legolas in the gut with it. She then joined the hobbits and they resumed throwing snowballs at him. I picked up a bunch of snow and stuffed it into the hood of Legolas's cloak and pulled it over his head, then ran over to my sister and we started laughing hysterically. Legolas pulled his hood down, shook off the snow and glared at me with an 'I'm going to get you' look on his face. I stopped laughing and watched as Legolas aimed a snowball at my face. He threw it and I ducked faster than I thought I'd be able to and the snowball landed a few feet behind me. I looked at it for a minute, then I looked back at Legolas wide eyed. "Ya missed me!" I pointed out. Kate and anyone else who had heard me started laughing. Gimli nearly fell over he was laughing so hard. "Now, as the rhyme goes, you have to kiss her." Kate looked back at Legolas with a serious expression. Legolas just stood there, eyes wide with shock when my sister said this. I blushed and threw a snowball at my sister's head, successfully getting her face. "Shut up!" I told her.

After a while Gandalf broke up our snowball fight and told us we had to keep moving. After a while more of walking we stopped for the night and set up camp. Legolas and I didn't practice archery that night because there was nothing around for us to shoot. I sat down with Kate and Francesca and we ate dinner together. Natalie was sitting with Boromir and they were arguing over the events of the snowball war. I chuckled at this and shook my head. Soon dinner was finished and cleared away and everyone was starting to go to sleep. Kate, Francesca, Natalie and I were still up for whatever reason. Legolas had taken the first watch and was standing a little bit off from the group and scanning the surroundings.

Deciding that this was as good a time as any to interrogate Natalie, I walked over and sat by her. She was sitting on her bedroll and staring into the fire. "What's up?" I asked. "Nothing much. What's with you?" she looked at me. "I've noticed you hanging out with Boromir a lot lately." I said conversationally. "Yeah. I guess I've been hanging out with him more than the rest of the Fellowship." Natalie admitted. "Do you like, like him or something?" I hesitated a bit, not sure how to approach the subject and not wanting to piss off Natalie. "I think I do. I don't know." She sighed. "You know you can come to me of you need to talk about it." I patted her shoulder. "Thanks, Prussia." She smiled. "Any time Germany." I gave her a hug and walked back over to my bedroll next to Francesca.

"Hey." I waved to her as I sat down. "Hello!" Francesca waved back to me. We talked for a while about random things when she smiled mischievously all of a sudden. "What's with the look?" I raised an eyebrow at her. "I've got a question." She stated. "What?" I asked. Her smile grew wider and she asked, "Do you like Legolas? Like, like him?" I swear my face paled and my eyes popped out of my head. "Shh! Not so loud." I shushed her and looked over at Legolas to see if he had heard her. He probably did but he didn't show it; he was still staring out into the surrounding area and keeping watch. "How did you know?" I asked Francesca, giving her the most threatening glare I could manage. "I overheard you and Kate during the snowball fight." She said simply. "Don't tell anyone. Especially Legolas. I would die of embarrassment and then I would come back and haunt you for the rest of your natural life." I told her. "I won't tell anyone. And I don't think you can die of embarrassment." Francesca replied. I narrowed my eyes at her. "Meep." I said. "Good night, Prussia." Francesca yawned and soon fell asleep. "Good night Francey Pants." I whispered. I couldn't get to sleep so I started singing 'What Hurts the Most' by Rascal Flatts.

**Author's note: Whew! Long chapter compared to the rest. On another note, yeah, Kate and Francesca now know that I have a crush on Legolas. Natalie has mixed feelings about Boromir. On another note, I seem to have an obsession with Olympia/Legolas fluff. I should probably do something about that. Anyways, REVIEW PLEASE! **


	13. Chapter 13

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS! I DO NOT OWN NATALIE OR FRANCESCA! I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING ELSE THAT IS RECOGNIZABLE! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS!**

Chapter Thirteen

Olympia's POV

The wind and snow had picked up considerably since yesterday. We were now trudging our way through a full blown blizzard. Well, I can't exactly say we seeing as Kate, Legolas and I were walking on top of the snow. I still love that! Legolas walked to the head of the group and tried to see past the sheets of snow that were coming down on us. Kate and I were close behind him. "There is a fell voice on the air." Legolas pointed out. I strained my ears a little to hear past the howling wind and found that he was right. There was a voice chanting somewhere in the distance. "Cuiva nwalca Carnirasse; nai yarvaxea rasselya!"It was in a foreign language so I couldn't tell what it meant. Apparently Gandalf could though. "It's Saruman!" he shouted over the storm. _Shit. _Suddenly there was a cracking sound above us and some loose rocks came crashing down. Kate took my arm and pulled me against the cliff face with the others so we wouldn't be crushed.

"He's trying to bring down the mountain! Gandalf, we must turn back!" Aragorn yelled. "No!" Gandalf responded. I narrowed my eyes as Saruman's voice continued chanting. Gandalf stood up straight and shouted something into the wind. "Losto Caradhras, sedho, hodo, nuitho i 'ruith!" he shouted. I'm assuming he was trying to stop Saruman. It didn't work and Saruman's voice grew louder for a minute. I flinched as lightning cracked overhead and a mini avalanche came tumbling down on us. Then, everything went white. Snow buried me and I couldn't breathe; the snow was suffocating me. I held what breath I had left, tried not to panic because that wouldn't help and attempted to tunnel my way to the surface. The key word there was attempted. Suddenly, someone reached down into the snow and grabbed my arm. I gripped the person's wrist and was yanked up to the surface. I gasped for air for a second and looked up to see Legolas. "Thanks." I managed to choke out as I wiggled the rest of me out of the snow. Francesca yelped and started coughing as I pulled her out of the snow by her hair. "By my hair? Seriously?" she asked rubbing her head. "It's all I could get a hold on; I couldn't find your hands. Sorry." I gave her an apologetic smile and helped dig out some of the rest of our companions and soon we were all back on our feet.

"We must get off the mountain! Make for the gap of Rohan and take the West Road to my city!" Boromir shouted over the wind to Gandalf. "The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!" Aragorn argued. "If we cannot pass over the mountain, let us go under it! Let us go through the Mines of Moria!" Gimli suggested. I shuddered at the thought. I don't do well underground. I already knew that that was going to be our road and was already on the verge of being a nervous wreck. Gandalf didn't do anything for a minute; he just looked to be deep in thought.

"Let the Ringbearer decide." Gandalf finally responded. Frodo looked up at him for a minute and I turned my eyes to Frodo. "We cannot stay here! This will be the death of the hobbits!" Boromir said. "Frodo?" Gandalf looked at the hobbit in question. "We will go through the mines." Frodo decided. _Fan-freaking-tastic!_ In case you haven't noticed, I practically ooze sarcasm. Usually I have enough sense to keep it to myself unless it's really good. "So be it." Gandalf replied solemnly.

~~~~~meep~~~~~meep~~~~~meep~~~~~

Over the next few days my nervousness about going through Moria did not fade, in fact it strengthened as we got closer to the place. Kate, Francesca and Natalie were nervous and scared too, I could feel it. We all knew what was going to happen and we knew we couldn't do a damn thing about it. Do you have any idea how much that sucks? Knowing what's going to happen but also knowing that if you try and stop it you'll just fuck everything up? It's not a good feeling. A few nights ago we had had a discussion about this and agreed that staying as close to the canon as possible was the best idea. I walked with Kate, Natalie and Francesca in silence. We were all too worried to talk or joke at the moment. _Good god, what are we going to do when we actually have to fight? Nope, scratch that! I know exactly what we'll do. Natalie and I will go into ninja mode, Francesca will stay with the hobbits, and Kate will probably try to protect all of us at once. That's just what she does. After that it's just a simple matter of killing orcs and not dying in the process! _I thought bitterly.It's true though; Kate was usually very protective of us and maybe a bit motherly.

"The walls of Moria." Gimli announcing that we were there brought me out of my thoughts. Francesca shot me a nervous look and all I could do in response was give her my own nervous look. There was nothing I could do to make her feel less nervous because I'd be lying if I tried. Bottom line; shit was about to get real. There was a lake between us and the walls, so we walked around the edge of the lake. Kate watched the water with her wide, wary blue eyes and kept looking back at us to make sure no one fell into the water. See what I mean about protective? I don't really mind though, she means well and has kept Francesca, Natalie and I out of trouble in the past. As we walked I fell into step beside Legolas and he just gave me a small smile. "Dwarf doors are invisible when closed." Gimli stated as he knocked his axe against the rock wall, trying to find the door into Moria. "Yes Gimli, their own masters cannot find them if their secrets are forgotten." Gandalf added. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" Legolas muttered as much as an elf can mutter. Gimli grumbled to himself. "Ah, now let me see. Ithildin. It mirrors only starlight and moonlight." Gandalf said and looked up at the sky.

As if to prove Gandalf's point, some clouds blew out of the way and revealed the full moon. Within seconds the doors were completely illuminated and we all stared at them in awe. Gandalf smiled and began to read the elvish writing on the doors. "It reads; The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak friend and enter." Gandalf said. "What do you suppose that means?" Merry inquired. "Well it's quite simple. If you are a friend you speak the password and the doors will open." Gandalf answered and held his staff up to the doors. "Annon Edhellen, edro hi ammen!" Gandalf's voice sounded commanding but nothing happened. Gandalf raised his arms up and tried to open the doors again. Once again, the doors remained shut. "Nothing's happening." Pippin stated. "No shit Sherlock." Natalie, Francesca and I said in unison. Kate rolled her eyes at us. At this point Gandalf resorted to good old elbow grease and tried pushing against the stubborn doors while muttering to himself. "What are you going to do then?" Pippin broke the somewhat awkward silence that had fallen over us. "Knock your head against these doors Peregrin Took! And if that does not shatter them and I'm allowed a little peace from foolish questions, I will try to find the opening words." Gandalf snapped at the hobbit.

We all decided to take a break and sit down for a while. I sat down with Francesca, Natalie and my sister. I was on the end of our little group and Natalie was next to me on one side. A few yards away from the group Aragorn and Sam were unloading our packs and stuff from Bill. "The mines are no place for a pony, even one so brave as Bill." Aragorn told a sad looking Sam. "Bye bye Bill." Sam said to the pony I knew he had grown so attached to. I felt bad for him. "Go on, Bill. Go on. Don't worry Sam. He knows the way home." Aragorn gave the pony a small push in the direction we had come from. Sam looked miserable and I just wanted to give him a hug.

A splashing sound caught my attention and I looked to see Merry throwing rocks into the lake. I gave him a look that said, 'I wouldn't do that if I were you.' I'd _almost _forgotten about the Watcher in the water. But that giant squid/octopus thing had refused to leave my mind alone completely. Pippin picked up a rock and was about to join Merry when Aragorn grabbed his arm. "Do not disturb the water." He warned. I shuddered and Natalie put a hand on my shoulder. "It'll be okay." She whispered so only I could hear her. I raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh it's useless." Gandalf sighed and sat down on a rock near Frodo. Francesca crawled over to me and also decided to whisper in my ear. "Can I tell the crappy fruit pun we found on the internet?" she asked. I chuckled a bit as I remembered when we found that. "Don't you think it's a little late for that? And no, you can't tell it. I don't think they'd appreciate it right now." I countered. "Yeah probably." Francesca shrugged. I face-palmed and shook my head. The water rippled a bit and I nudged Natalie and pointed to where the ripple had occurred. She scooted a little closer to the rock wall. I followed her lead, nudged Kate out of her thoughts and gave her a look.

"It's a riddle," Frodo piped up and stood in front of the doors, studying them. The water rippled again, this time closer to the shore, and we looked at the lake with concern. "Speak friend and enter. What's the elvish word for friend?" Frodo asked. "Mellon." Gandalf answered after a moment. Francesca giggled a bit, very likely remembering the crappy fruit pun. A loud crack was heard and the doors swung open. Gandalf chuckled and we all got up and we all walked inside. Kate and Legolas stood on either side of me and Kate looked at me to make sure I would be alright. I was past the point of a nervous wreck at this point.

"Soon Master Elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the dwarves. Roaring fires! Malt Beer! Red meat off the bone!" Gimli told Legolas. Gandalf lit up his staff, revealing the multitude of dead bodies that were scattered through the place. I bit my lip and looked around. Whatever attempt I had made to keep myself calm had completely failed. "This, my friend is the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine, a mine!" Gimli continued. "This isn't a mine, it's a tomb." Boromir stated. "No! NOOOOOOO!" Gimli wailed. Legolas pulled an arrow out of a nearby dwarf corpse. "Goblins." He made a face and threw down the arrow. All our weapons were out and at the ready in seconds. "We make for the Gap of Rohan. We should never have come here." Boromir glared at nothing in particular. Everyone else was searching the darkness for goblins. The hobbits, Francesca included, backed towards the way out. "Now get out of here. Get out!" Boromir shouted. Suddenly a tentacle came out from the lake and grabbed Frodo. He yelped and was dragged towards the water.

"Frodo! Frodo!" Merry and Pippin yelled. Sam turned to the rest of us. "Strider!" he shouted and turned back to the tentacle. "Get off him." He said as he severed the tentacle. Francesca and the others tried to pull Frodo back to the doors but several other tentacles shot out of the water and grabbed Frodo. And Francesca!? Not on my watch! Natalie, Kate and I ran out to try and get them down. Legolas fired and arrow at the tentacle holding Frodo and Boromir, Aragorn, Kate, Natalie and I all slashed at the other tentacles trying to free our friends. Frodo and Francesca were screaming for help. "Strider!" Frodo yelled. "Italy, Prussia, Germany! Somebody!" Francesca shrieked as she tried to twist out of the Watcher's grasp. Speaking of the beast, it then decided to rear its ugly head and try to eat our hobbits! _No giant demon squid thing from Hell is going to eat my friends if I'm here to say otherwise! _I thought as Natalie and I found the tentacle that held Francesca and we sliced through it. Aragorn had severed the tentacle holding Frodo and Boromir caught him when he fell. I tried to catch Francesca but failed. She crashed into me and we fell into the water.

Kate pulled me up and Natalie half dragged Francesca back to shore. "Into the mines!" Gandalf exclaimed. Legolas shot an arrow at the Watcher's face and we all ran into the mines. The Watcher then decided to be an asshole and pull the doors down on us as we got inside. The rocks crumbled and fell over the entrance, sealing the way out. I backed up and nearly bumped into Legolas, who put a hand on my shoulder. _Fuck you Watcher. Just fuck you. _Thinking that didn't help the situation but made me feel a little better. "We now have but one choice; we must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the world." Gandalf told us as he lit up his staff again. He began to lead us up a flight of stairs. "Quietly now it's a four day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed." He advised. _Yeah, that's not gonna happen._ I walked beside Legolas, my soaked through boots squelching as I did.

**Author's note: I'M SO SO SORRY THAT IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO UPDATE! My pc's hard drive decided to die! It just died! So we had to go and get it fixed and whatnot. Updates might be slow for a bit because I lost the next few chapters that were already written and now I have to re-write them. Grrr. Hehehe, crappy fruit pun. Most of you have probably heard the one Francesca wanted to tell. If you haven't, well then I'm sorry. The crappy fruit pun is not mine and I can take no credit for it. Soo yeah. REVIEW PLEASE! **


	14. Chapter 14

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS! FRANCESCA AND NATALIE OWN THEMSELVES! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS!**

Chapter Fourteen

Olympia's POV

After a while of walking through the mines, Gandalf noticed some silvery white lines on the rock face and ran his hand across them."The wealth of Moria is not in gold or jewels, but mithril." He said as he shined his staff into the cavern below us, lighting up the abandoned mines and ladders and things that were down there. Kate stood close to the edge of the rock ledge we were standing on as she looked at the mines. Both Francesca and I grabbed her arms to keep her from falling. "Thanks guys." She whispered to us. I raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. "This from the overprotective, motherly one of our group." Francesca stated, trying not to laugh at the irony. Kate smacked her arm and we continued walking.

"Bilbo had a shirt of mithril rings that Thorin gave him." Gandalf told us. "Oh that was a kingly gift!" Gimli exclaimed. "Yes. I never told him but its worth was greater than the value of the Shire!" Gandalf continued. _Damn! _I thought. We soon came to another set of stairs. These were very steep and we all had to climb using our hands in addition to our feet to keep from falling. Natalie slipped a few times but Boromir usually helped her back up. I smirked knowingly at her and she mouthed 'Screw you' to me. I gave her a shit eating grin and continued climbing. Natalie climbed up next to me. "Tienes un agolpamiento en él. Tu sabes que hacer." (You have a crush on him. You know you do.) I smiled broadly at my friend. "Te odio." (I hate you) she whispered. "Yeah, okay. Tú me amas." (You love me) I rolled my eyes when she just glared at me.

Gandalf reached the top of the stairs first and looked at the three different paths that forked off from ours. "I have no memory of this place." He murmured after a moment. _FFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUU *rage face* _I thought as we all settled down to wait for Gandalf to figure out which way we should go. Gandalf and Aragorn both lit their pipes and started smoking. "Are we lost?" Pippin asked. "No." Merry told him. "I think we are." Pippin retorted. "Shh! Gandalf's thinking!" Sam shushed the bickering pair. "Merry!" Pippin started up again after a minute. "What!" Merry answered. "I'm hungry." Pippin said simply. It took all my willpower not to burst into laughter, though I admit that I did giggle a bit along with Kate, who was sitting with Natalie and Francesca. I can't say the same for Natalie and Francesca, who were practically rolling on the floor laughing. I rolled my eyes at them and sort of zoned out.

After a few minutes, someone came to sit next to me. I turned and looked to see Legolas. "Hi." I whispered. "Hello." He said just as quietly as I did. There was a minute or so of awkward silence. "You seem troubled." Legolas observed. "I'm scared." I admitted. "Would you tell me what it is you fear?" he asked, putting his hand on my own, trying to help me. I sighed. "It's….complicated. I'm not sure how to explain it. I'm just scared." I replied. It was all I could think of to say without giving away what was going to happen. Legolas just nodded. "I heard you talking to Natalie earlier in that language you told us about in your world. What were you discussing?" Legolas changed the subject after another awkward silence. I laughed a bit. "I was teasing her in Spanish." I smiled. "About what?" Legolas urged. I quickly glanced over at Natalie to make sure she hadn't heard us. She was busy talking to Francesca and Boromir, unsurprisingly. I smirked. _She's gonna kill me for this. _I motioned for Legolas to lean closer to me. "She'd kill me for telling anyone but, I think she kinda likes Boromir." I whispered. "What do you mean?" he whispered back. "I think she like likes him." I said, nodding my head back over to Natalie and Boromir. Francesca was now talking to Kate. Legolas followed my gaze and realization washed over his face. "You think she fancies him?" he asked me quietly. "Yes. But you can't tell anyone because then Natalie will know that I told you. Then she'll kill me, then possibly you, and then me again!" I whispered, flailing my arms a bit as I gestured to myself, then Legolas and then back to myself. Legolas raised an eyebrow at me. "I do not believe she would really kill us." He pointed out. "Probably not, but she'd be very mad and that's not good." I told him. We sat in silence for a while and I began humming the song 'A Thousand Years' by Christina Perri to myself.

"I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened." I heard Frodo say as I started eavesdropping on him and Gandalf. "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, in which case you were also meant to have it, and that is an encouraging thought. Oh, it's that way!" Gandalf raised his voice a bit at this last part and everyone turned to look at him. _That was one of my favorite Gandalf quotes. _I thought randomly. "He's remembered!" Merry cried as he jumped to his feet. Everyone grabbed their stuff and crowded at the doorway Gandalf was standing at. "No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down here. When in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose." Gandalf said as he began to lead us down the stairs and into the tunnel. Legolas took my hand in his again as we walked. I smiled a bit and attempted to ignore the butterflies that had taken up residence in my stomach.

Gandalf led us into an enormous cavern with columns that stretched from the floor all the way up to the ceiling. "Let me risk a little more light." Gandalf said to himself and he lifted his staff, which glowed much brighter and gave us all a very good view of the cavern. Upon further investigation, I discovered that the columns were very ornately decorated. "Behold the great realm and dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf." He continued in a louder voice so we could all hear him. "There's an eye opener and no mistake." Sam murmured as he stared at the cavern around him.

As we were walking through Dwarrowdelf, something in another room on the side caught Gimli's attention. "Oh!" he cried as he ran off to the other room. "Gimli!" Gandalf called after him. The rest of us followed him into the room where we saw Gimli kneeling before the tomb of his cousin and sobbing I'll say, for lack of a better word. Gandalf walked over to the tomb and read the dwarf runes on it. "Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria. He is dead then. It's as I feared." Gandalf took off his hat upon finishing. He then noticed a dwarf skeleton nearby holding a really big book. Gandalf gave Pippin his hat and staff and removed the book from the skeleton's hands. As he picked it up, a bunch of pages fell out. "We must move on, we cannot linger." Legolas whispered to Aragorn as Gandalf blew some dust off the book and began to read from it.

"They have taken the bridge and the second hall. We have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums, drums in the deep. We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out. They are coming." Everyone was looking around nervously as if something were going to jump out at us from nowhere. Just then a crashing sound was heard that echoed off the walls. Everyone turned to see Pippin looking guilty and a headless dwarf skeleton with some chains fall down a well, chains and all. The crashing and noise that followed that was even louder than the first. Everyone held their breath and Pippin grimaced as the noise finally died away. Aragorn and Boromir let out sighs of relief when nothing happened. "Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity." Gandalf snapped at Pippin and took back his hat and staff. _Okay, that was a little harsh. _Then came the drums and the screeching. Everyone looked around and Francesca, Kate, Natalie and I started to get a little jumpy. Nat and Kate had their hands on the handles of their swords. I let go of Legolas's hand and got ready to draw my knives. I would need them in about five minutes.

"Frodo!" Sam called and Frodo unsheathed his sword. It was glowing blue, meaning that orcs were coming. "Orcs!" Legolas yelled. Boromir ran to the door and was almost shot in the head. Twice. "Get back! And stay close to Gandalf!" Aragorn told the hobbits. _Shitcakes, freaking shitcakes. _I thought as Aragorn and Boromir started to bar the doors. "They have a cave troll!" Boromir stated, obviously pissed. _And a side helping of shit! _I finished my thought as Legolas started throwing axes and stuff to Aragorn and Boromir to bar the doors. They soon came back to us and we drew our weapons. I put on a brave face and took out my knives. My heart was pounding loudly in my chest and I wondered how no one else in the room heard it. Gimli stood up on Balin's tomb. "Let them come! There's one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath." He growled as orcs pounded against the doors. Pieces of the doors fell away and Legolas and Aragorn shot through the holes left behind. There was constant screeching and shrieking from the other side. The doors broke down and all hell broke loose.

I let out a battle cry and started slashing at everything in sight. Somewhere behind me I heard Natalie yell out, "NNAAAATTAALIIEEEE GIITTTIIIN!" I'll give you all a hint. Leeeerrroooooy Jeeeeennnkiiiinsssss! If my life weren't in danger I would have laughed. One orc just stood in front of me and I stabbed it in the throat. Then I whirled around and saw why he was standing so still, one of his buddies was sneaking up behind me. I took a swipe at it. He blocked me with his sword thing and I used my other knife to stab him. Yet another orc screeched from my left side and I turned just in time to keep him from decapitating me. I stepped to the side so I was next to the orc and stabbed him. More orcs just kept coming. I let my instincts take over and went into ninja mode. Some orc swung at my head and I ducked, leaned back on my hands in floor fighting position and kicked him where the sun doesn't shine. I hopped back to my feet and finished him off with one swipe of my knife while he was processing what the hell just happened to him. Yeah, I know. No freaking mercy.

Aaaand then they brought in the cave troll. I stopped what I was doing just for a moment as Legolas, who was next to me at the time, shot the beast. The arrow didn't affect it and it tried to whack Sam with its hammer. "Olympia! Behind you!" Kate yelled. I whirled around and started fighting the orc that was trying to sneak up on me. This one put up a bit more of a fight than the others had. He blocked most of my strikes so I settled for roundhouse kicking him in the throat and decapitating him. "Shit!" Natalie yelled as the cave troll flung Boromir into the wall. I winced and side kicked an orc. He stumbled back and tried to run me through with his sword. I stepped to the side and stabbed him in the throat before he could stop himself and turn around. There was a huge crash as the troll brought its hammer down on Balin's tomb.

I continued fighting, never staying in one place very long. Somehow I ended up near Kate and fought back to back with her. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Natalie steal Aragorn's glory by throwing her sword into the back of an orc who tried to kill Boromir. Kate and I were more or less surrounded. One orc swung at my head with his sword. We were so close that when I ducked, he decapitated the orc behind me. I stabbed the one in front of me and Sparta kicked another one. He tripped backwards right into Kate's blade. "We make a pretty good team!" Kate yelled over the battle. "We always have!" I called back to her as I decapitated another orc. I jumped about two feet in the air as I saw Legolas jump off the cave troll's back and land less than three feet from me. I gave him a 'Dude seriously?' face, mouthed the words 'Showoff!' to him and ran to stab an orc that had cornered Francesca. She nodded at me and we caught a glimpse of Sam whacking orcs with his frying pan. Francesca chuckled and I yanked her out of the way of an orc as it tried to slash her in half. She sliced the lower half of its leg off and then stabbed it in the head. I linked my fingers together and nodded to Francesca. She jumped and used my hands as a springboard and I launched her up. I ducked; Francesca jumped over me and stabbed the orc behind us in the throat. She smiled and yelled, "That was fun!"

"Frodo!" Aragorn yelled. I turned to see the cave troll looking around a column. I finished off the orc I was fighting and turned to see Aragorn jump to Frodo's rescue and spear the troll while Merry and Pippin threw rocks at it. The troll moved sideways, throwing Aragorn against a wall as it did. Frodo ran to make sure he was okay. Then the troll speared at Frodo a few times, trying to turn him into a hobbit kebab. The troll succeeded in spearing Frodo and Frodo crumpled to the ground. Merry and Pippin yelled out a battle cry and jumped onto the troll's back and stabbed it repeatedly. Gandalf, Gimli, Natalie and I ran to help them and started fighting the troll. I saw Francesca and Kate trying to fight their way over to Frodo even though they knew he was going to be okay. While I was distracted the troll whacked me aside along with Natalie and Gimli. I landed on the ground and broke my fall with my arm, scraping it up pretty nicely in the process. _Well that hurts like a bitch. At least it's not that bad this time. I remember when I fell off the swings and sprained it in the second grade. _I shuddered at the memory and rolled up my sleeves as I watched Legolas shoot the troll in the throat.

I yanked Natalie to her feet and she pulled me away as the troll toppled over dead and Pippin yelled and rolled off its back. Everyone then froze as Aragorn made his way towards Frodo, who was lying face down in the stone floor. Frodo gasped as Aragorn rolled him over and Sam rushed to his side. "He's alive!" Sam breathed a sigh of relief and I let out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. "I'm alright. I'm not hurt." Frodo panted as Sam helped him sit up. "You should be dead. That spear would have skewered a wild boar." Aragorn stated. "I think there's more to this hobbit than meets the eye." Gandalf added. Frodo pulled back his shirt to reveal the mithril shirt that had saved him. "Mithril! You are full of surprises Master Baggins." Gimli told him. I looked around when I heard screeching again. "To the Bridge of Khazad-dûm!" Gandalf told us as he too heard the screeching. And then we all ran like our lives depended on it; at that moment, they did.

We ran out of Balin's Tomb and back into the enormous cavern that was once the great dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf. Orcs and goblins chased us from behind and crawled out of cracks in the ground and out of the ceiling to chase and surround us. Yes, they crawled out of cracks in the damn ceiling. Eventually they completely surrounded us and we were forced to stop. I drew my knives again and took a fighting stance with Kate on one side and Legolas on the other. There was a split second of silence and then a ferocious roar. The assorted McNasties that had surrounded us stopped and scattered back into the deep recesses of the mines they had come from screeching and shrieking all the way. We all turned to look in the direction of the sound and saw an archway that was glowing a fiery red. There was another roar. _Sweet merciful shitcakes! _I thought as I realized exactly what was coming for us; a Balrog of Morgoth. I can honestly say that the next 15 or so minutes were the most terrifying moments of my life.

**Author's note: AND CUE CLIFFHANGER! If we were watching a T.V. show, now would be the time where they cut to commercial and left us all hanging. Sorry guys! I was writing this at 1 in the morning on my cousin's laptop. I actually broke 3,000 words in this chapter! READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	15. Chapter 15

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING! FRANCESCA AND NATALIE OWN THEMSELVES AND I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS!**

Chapter Fifteen

Olympia's POV

"What is this new devilry?" Boromir asked as we watched the growing flame in the archway, horrified. Gandalf closed his eyes for a minute then answered, "A Balrog, a demon of the ancient world. This foe is beyond any of you. RUN!" For a minute, everyone's faces read 'Oh shit!' which coincidentally was my exact thought. Then we ran like hell. We raced out of the cavern we were in and towards a flight of stairs. They ended abruptly and if you fell, well, let's just say I couldn't see the bottom. Boromir almost fell over the edge. Natalie squeaked and rushed past Legolas to pull Boromir back from the edge. I skidded to a stop right behind them. We ran down a few flights of stairs before we reached a point where a chunk of the staircase had fallen away. The gap was too big to step over. Legolas, the showoff that he is, barely stopped before leaping right over the gap. Everyone else hesitated a moment and I heard the Balrog let out another fearsome roar as it followed behind us.

"Gandalf!" Legolas called from the other side of the gap. The wizard jumped over the gap as orcs started firing arrows at us. Kate pushed my head down and I ducked to keep from being shot._ If I had a bow and arrows, he'd be dead freaking meat. _I thought as I glared in the direction the arrow had come from. Legolas then started firing up at the orcs, shooting one right between the eyes from what I saw. Natalie nudged me forward as I was next in line to go over the gap. I took a deep breath and jumped, landing on the other side and nearly crashing into Legolas. Kate jumped and landed a moment after I did. "Francesca!" Natalie yelled as she grabbed said hobbit and freaking threw her over the gap. I caught Francesca and set her on her feet. Natalie herself followed right after, leaping over the gap and doing a forward roll to keep from landing on her face. "Merry! Pippin!" Boromir yelled and grabbed the two hobbits, jumping over the gap with one of them under each arm. A large part of the stairs that they had been standing on broke away and fell into the chasm below us. More arrows rained down on us. I pulled Natalie back from where she landed and we leaned out of the way as an arrow whistled past, right under our noses. We looked at each other, eyes wide with shock. "Did we just have a Matrix moment?" I asked. "Yep!" Natalie answered. Legolas resumed shooting the orcs and Aragorn threw Sam over the gap to Boromir, who was waiting to catch him.

"Nobody tosses a dwarf!" Gimli protested and jumped over the gap, teetering on the edge. Legolas grabbed him by his beard and pulled him back from the edge. "Mind the beard!" Gimli yelled. Aragorn and Frodo were the only ones left now. Aragorn pushed Frodo back up the staircase as a few more chunks crumbled away, making the gap to big to jump over. The doorway where we had come in glowed red and the Balrog roared again. A few chunks of ceiling crumbled and fell. "Steady! Hold on!" Aragorn said holding onto Frodo's back to keep him from falling as a chunk of ceiling fell and crashed through the section of stairs behind them, leaving them isolated from the rest of us and the rest of the stairs. "Hang on!" Aragorn told Frodo as their chunk of stairs swayed. "Lean forward!" Aragorn and Frodo leaned towards us and their chunk of stairs collided with ours and they were caught by Legolas and Boromir.

We ran down the rest of the stairs to the bridge as the stairs behind us collapsed and fell. "Over the bridge! FLY!" Gandalf yelled as we all ran ahead and towards the bridge. My heart was racing and I was only vaguely aware of the pain from the scrapes on my arm. The place was now in flames. The huge, horned, winged and flaming creature of shadow then made an appearance and roared at Gandalf while breathing fire. _The freaking thing breathes fire too! Wonderful! Just freaking wonderful! _I thought sarcastically. We ran across the narrow bridge in a single file line as the Balrog followed us with its giant strides. I was frozen with fear for a moment, staring at this huge thing. Legolas took my arm, the hurt one, and we ran across the bridge. I winced from the pain and ran as fast as I possibly could. We all watched, terrified, as Gandalf stopped halfway across the bridge and turned to face the Balrog. "That thing is fugly." I heard Francesca murmur to herself as we watched Gandalf and the Balrog. _Only Francesca would say that at a time like this. _I thought with an internal smirk. _And only I would be able to smile at something like that at a time like this._

"You cannot pass!" Gandalf shouted. "Gandalf!" Frodo yelled. The Balrog burst into flames as it stood up to its full height and spread out its wings. Yes, the damned thing has wings too! "I am a Servant of the Sacred Fire. A Weilder of the Flame of Anor." Gandalf stated as the Balrog drew its sword and raised it above its head. Gandalf raised his staff in front of him, staff glowing white. "The dark fire will not avail you. Flame of Udûn!" As Gandalf shouted this, the Balrog brought its sword down onto Gandalf with a terrifying roar and a great bright light as Gandalf defended himself with his staff. The Balrog reeled back for a moment, then roared loudly. "Go back to the shadow!" Gandalf yelled at the beast. Said beast put its enormous foot on the bridge, roared and cracked its whip made of fire. "You shall not pass!" Gandalf shouted and brought his staff down on the bridge, hard. The Balrog lunged towards Gandalf with a roar, but the bridge cracked beneath its feet. The Balrog fell down into the chasm and Gandalf turned to walk back to us. For a split second it seemed like everything would be okay, that Gandalf wasn't about to die. Then the end of the Balrog's whip came and wrapped around Gandalf's ankle, pulling him down.

"Gandalf!" Frodo screamed and tried to go to him, but Boromir held him back. "No!" he said. Gandalf was holding on by his fingertips. I felt a scream building up in my throat and bit my lip to hold it back. He looked at all of us one last time before saying, "Fly, you fools!" and falling down into the chasm. "NOOOOOOOOO!" Frodo yelled and struggled against Boromir. Time seemed to slow down and I heard another voice screaming as I fell to my knees. It took me a minute to realize that other voice was mine. Natalie looked at me for a minute, sadness etched on her face, before pulling me to my feet and dragging me away.

"Aragorn!" I heard Boromir yelling behind us and Frodo still screaming. I blinked a few times as we reached the outside, but didn't stop running until we were a little ways away from the exit. Then everyone basically collapsed. Sam sat with his heads in his hands, Boromir held back a struggling Gimli, and Merry stayed by Pippin, who was curled up on the ground sobbing. I pulled my sister into a bear hug and sank to my knees. I heard a thud as Francesca and Natalie fell to the ground beside us. Francesca sat with her knees curled up to her chest and Natalie gave her a hug. I couldn't think and my breath came in ragged gasps as I tried to fight back the tears. Kate was crying and I felt her tears land softly on my head. Gandalf was gone. Just like that. Experiencing it in person and seeing it in the movie are two _completely _different things. And we knew Gandalf personally now which obviously made it harder. We played Mario Kart with him for Pete's sake! Who else can honestly say that? I lost it after a minute and let my tears fall to the ground.

"Legolas, get them up!" Aragorn told a very depressed looking Legolas. I glared at Aragorn for a second as I failed at trying to stop crying. "Give them a moment for pity's sake!" Boromir yelled. "By nightfall these hills will be swarming with orcs! We must reach the woods of Lothlórien. Come, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, get them up!" Aragorn said as he pulled Sam up and patted his shoulder. Kate helped me, Francesca and Natalie to our feet. I wiped the tears away from my eyes and Legolas gave me a sad look. "Frodo? Frodo!" Aragorn called as he spotted Frodo, standing away from the group with tears streaming down his face.

We ran for the rest of the day until night came. No one said a word as we set up camp and sat around the fire Sam had made. I took a deep breath and looked at my left arm. The adrenaline rush from the earlier fight had worn off and now my arm hurt like a bitch for the first time since I had scraped it up. At least it wasn't bleeding anymore. "When did this happen?" Kate asked as she noticed the cuts and scrapes. "When the cave troll knocked me on my ass and I broke the fall with my arm." I answered. Kate sighed and used the sleeve of her tunic to get the dried blood off my arm. Somehow it worked, but now there were faint blood stains on Kate's sleeve. "What happened to your dagger?" I asked, noticing that Kate's dagger was gone. "I kinda lost in Moria." She answered. I raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I stabbed an orc with it and didn't have time to get it back before we had to go." Kate admitted. I nodded. That made much more sense seeing as my sister isn't usually one to lose things. Kate gave me a hug and kissed the side of my head before going and enveloping Francesca in a bear hug. She had curled up in the fetal position and was crying. I was fighting against my own tears.

In the process of looking at absolutely nothing in particular, I noticed that Natalie and Bormir were sitting together and Natalie's head was resting on Boromir's shoulder as she started to nod off. I drew my knees up to my chest, folded my arms on them and put my head in my arms. I was barely noticed when Legolas came and sat down next to me. I looked up at him for a minute, then rubbed my arm. Legolas looked at my arm and asked, "What happened?" Concern was evident in his voice. "Cave troll knocked me and Natalie down and I scraped it up when I fell." I told him. My voice cracked as I finished speaking seeing as I was still fighting back tears and losing. Legolas must have thought I was in a lot of pain because he took my arm and examined it. "Does it hurt?" he asked. "Yes, but that's not why I'm crying." I whispered as tears began to fall again. Legolas looked at me sadly for a second before pulling me into a hug. I cried into his chest for a while before I let him go and tried to go to sleep. But, my mind had other plans. _What was that? Why did he do that? He was only trying to make me feel better, that's why! Why on earth am I reading into it so freaking much?! You know why! MEEP! I love him! There I said it! _After this lovely little internal war, I finally fell asleep. 

~~~~~meep~~~~~meep~~~~~meep~~~~~

We had been running for the last couple of days and finally we had reached the edges of Lothlórien. Once we were into the trees we slowed down to a walk and looked around us. The trees were tall and in the sunlight the leaves looked golden, the wind blew the leaves around and the place in general was beautiful and peaceful looking. I was walking with Francesca and she looked at me and whispered so only I could hear, "Do elves come here to retire?" I looked at her for a minute, then laughed to myself. "I don't think so." I answered. "They should. I want to." Francesca replied, her voice still very quiet. I shook my head with a small smirk and we continued walking.

"Stay close young hobbits. They say there's a great sorceress lives in these woods. An elf witch of terrible power, all who look upon her fall under her spell and are never seen again." Gimli stated, looking around warily. "Mr. Frodo?" Sam looked over at Frodo, who seemed more or less zoned out. "Well, here's one dwarf she won't ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox. Ooh." Gimli continued as he all but walked right into and arrow being pointed at him by a group of elves who had surrounded us. "So much for the whole 'eyes of a hawk, ears of a fox' thing." I murmured as I turned my gaze from Gimli to the elf who was pointing an arrow at me. Legolas had drawn his own bow in response to having arrows aimed at him. Natalie glared at the elf pointing an arrow at her. "The dwarf breathes so loud we could have shot him in the dark." I heard a voice I recognized and turned my head to see Haldir step forward from the group of elves. Gimli growled at him.

**Author's note: I know, I know. This feels like a weird place to end a chapter. Anyways, I know this was pretty angst-y but Gandalf freaking died! It was necessary angst! I almost cried when he died in the movie! Now is probably a good time to give a huge thank you to everyone reading, reviewing, favorite-ing and whatnot! THANKS! I love you guys! It really means a lot to me! Thanks! READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	16. Chapter 16

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTHING I REFERENCE! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS!**

Chapter Sixteen

Olympia's POV

The elves had led us up into the trees and we were all standing around on one of the talans with Haldir and a few other elves. More elves were standing on talans nearby and watching us. I stood with Kate, Natalie, and Francesca. Francesca and Natalie looked around at all the elves staring at us and shifted uncomfortably. "Mae govannen, Legolas Thranduilion." Haldir addressed Legolas. "Govannas vîn gwennen le, Haldir o Lórien." He replied. _Huh? I don't understand any of this! Grr. So, this is how the Fellowship feels when Kate or Francesca or me or Natalie speaks Spanish. _Haldir then turned to face Aragorn. "A, Aragorn in Dúnedain istannen le ammen." He stated. "Haldir." Aragorn replied with a bow of respect.

"So much for the legendary courtesy of the elves! Speak words we can all understand!" Gimli exclaimed. _Amen to that! Sort of._ "We have not had dealings with the dwarves since the dark days." Haldir glared at Gimli. "And do you know what this dwarf says to that? Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul!" Gimli responded. Aragorn put a hand on Gimli's shoulder. "That was not so courteous!" Aragorn scolded. _Aaaannd now I want to know what that meant because I never bothered to look it up when I saw the movie! _Haldir then turned and looked at Sam and Frodo. "You bring great evil with you." He said to Frodo. To me, it kinda looked like they were having an epic staring contest. "You can go no further!" Haldir continued after a pause.

Aragorn and Haldir then began arguing in elvish. I couldn't make heads or tails of what was being said so I spaced out and started looking around at the trees and the other elves that were still watching us. I gave them all a big smile and looked over at Francesca. "Hi!" she looked up at the elves and waved. Some of them looked at us with 'WTF?' faces. I just shrugged. "Gandalf's death was not in vain. Nor would he have you give up hope. You carry a heavy burden Frodo. Don't carry the weight of the dead." I looked over at Boromir as I heard him talking to Frodo. Haldir then walked up to Frodo and said, "You will follow me."

The elves were now leading us through Lothlórien and I was looking around at everything. I can't even put it into words how amazing it was. Soon, our group came to the top of a hill that overlooked a part of the forest that had trees that were at least fifty feet taller than the ones we had been walking through. No joke, these trees were huge. The sun was shining brightly and everything looked golden. "Caras Galadhon, the heart of Elvendom on Earth. Realm of Lord Celeborn and of Galadriel, Lady of Light." Haldir told us as we all gazed at Caras Galadhon in awe. _I seriously think that I just died and went to heaven. That is the only logical explanation for this. _

Haldir led us into Caras Galadhon and to a flight of stairs that wrapped around the enormous trunk of one of the mallorn trees. The stairs had columns on the sides that joined into canopies above us. The canopies had lanterns that twinkled as we passed under them. "Wow. That's all I can think of to say. Just, wow." I murmured to my friends next to me. Kate let out a low whistle and Natalie and Francesca just nodded in response. Haldir looked back at us for a second and I could've sworn I saw him smile. Either that or I've _completely_ lost my mind.

We walked up the stairs for a while until we came to another talan with all sorts of beautiful decorations and lights. The lights made the whole place glow with a soft white light. It just blew me away, it really did. No words I can think of could describe it and succeed in doing it any justice whatsoever. Haldir led us into this talan and gathered all of the Fellowship in one place at the bottom of a flight of stairs. _Oh my god. Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel are about to make their appearance. _I thought. We shifted around for a moment and there was a white light at the top of the stairs.

I blinked once as Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel, all dressed in white, began their graceful descent down the stairs. All of a sudden I remembered that Galadriel can read minds. Not that it mattered to me at that moment; my mind was completely and utterly blank. "The Enemy knows you have entered here." Lord Celeborn began once he and Lady Galadriel reached the bottom of the stairs. I blinked again, my eyes still not quite adjusted to the light. "What hope you had in secrecy is now gone. Twelve there are here yet nine there were that set out from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him." Lord Celeborn looked confused as he scanned all of our faces.

Vaguely aware of Francesca humming the song 'They're Taking the Hobbits to Isengard' my mind went into overdrive. _Does Lady Galadriel know what happened to the Fellowship? I mean the fact that they came to our world. Does she know that Kate, Natalie, Francesca and I aren't from here? Does she know why we're here? Do we have to explain that whole thing? What if they don't believe us? Well, I guess we could always speak Spanish. But what if that doesn't work? AAAHHHH! _These thoughts ran through my mind at lightning speed. I'm surprised I was able to process all of them. Then there was this voice, in the back of my head. _Be at peace young one, I know of the events that brought you and your companions here, though I know not the reason behind it. Do not worry yourself so. _I knew this voice to be Galadriel's and I looked up at her, completely missing everything else that was going on, and only aware of the fact that she was also speaking out loud from what I remember from the movies. But I didn't listen, there was far too much on my mind for that. _Forgive me if I sound rude but I really need to ask. How did you know that Kate, Francesca, Natalie and I weren't from this world? _ Lady Galadriel didn't answer me; she just smiled mysteriously.

"What now becomes of this Fellowship? Without Gandalf hope is lost." Lord Celeborn said grimly as I finally decided to pay attention. I really want to know how Galadriel was able to speak to the Fellowship out loud and mind-speak with me at the same time. It just does not compute in my mind. "The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all." Lady Galadriel looked around at each member of the Fellowship as she told us this. _Well that's a cheerful thought! _"Yet hope remains, while company is true." She continued and I followed her gaze to Sam. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest, for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight, you will sleep in peace" Galadriel finished.

Later that night, the whole Fellowship was gathered at our little camp and we were sitting around. I sat with Natalie, Kate and Francesca while wringing out my still-soaked hair. We'd all been able to wash up and change and whatnot and one of the elves who had supposedly been sent by Galadriel to find us gave Kate, Natalie, Francesca and I our own travelling packs and some leather strips to tie back our hair. I almost gave her a hug. Then the elf gave us another set of clothes to wear while the ones we showed up in were being washed. That other set of clothes meant dresses. I had made a face once she left. You all already know how I despise dresses. Luckily the dresses weren't super fancy or anything and, thank god, they weren't pink. They looked more like a silvery-white color. I'm giving it back once I get my other clothes. Something was still bothering me though.

"Hey guys." I called to my friends. "Yeah Olympia? What's up?" Kate turned to look at me. "Did Galadriel mind-speak to you guys too?" I asked in a hushed voice. Kate nodded. "Yeah, she did." Natalie and Francesca said in unison. "First off; I want to know how she mind-spoke to all of us and spoke to the Fellowship all at the same time." I started. Kate chuckled and Natalie shrugged. Francesca put on a thinking face for a minute before shrugging. "What did she say to you?" Kate asked after a minute. I wasn't paying attention because I'd been listening to the elves sing about Gandalf. "Huh?" I looked up and snapped out of the daze I had fallen into. "What did Galadriel say to you in your mind?" Natalie repeated. "She told me to chill the fuck out because I nearly had a heart attack when I thought we'd have to explain the whole alternate world thing. Obviously not in those exact words but that was the gist of it. I also asked how she already knew. She just smiled at me cryptically. What did she say to you guys?" I explained. "Same thing basically. Although when she explained the whole 'Love mingled with grief' thing she kinda looked between me and Boromir for a second, like she was trying to tell me something but didn't want to say it out loud. I've got no idea what that's supposed to mean." Natalie shared. "I wasn't exactly paying attention to that." I admitted. _He's still going to die. Ohhhhhh shit! _I realized a second later."I pulled a you on that one Olympia. I was flipping out and she calmed me down." Francesca smiled. Kate said she had a similar situation but she had asked about the packs and stuff. "Rawr!" I smiled as I bear hugged my sister as a way of thanking her. We all chuckled a little bit. Just a little though.

Our conversation died down just in time for us to hear Sam start singing about Gandalf's fireworks. "The finest rockets ever seen, they burst in stars of blue and green. For after thunder, silver showers came falling like a rain of flowers. Oh that doesn't do them justice by a mile." Sam mumbled the last part as he sat back down. I stood up and sat by him. "I liked it Sam. I thought that was really nice." I told him. Sam flushed slightly at the compliment. "Thank you, Miss Olympia." He whispered. "Please, please just call me Olympia." I said. "Beggin' your pardon but it wouldn't be proper just to call you Olympia, Miss." Sam replied politely. "Fair enough." I smiled back at the hobbit as I got up and walked back over to Kate.

Late that night, after everyone else had fallen asleep but before Frodo went to see Galadriel's Mirror, Natalie, Francesca and I sat up and talked. Kate was out cold and like me, has a habit of getting back at people who woke her up. So we just let her be. "Olympia, Francesca. I need to talk to you, badly." Natalie said once we all moved around and sat down together. "What about?" Francesca asked. I think I already knew the answer. "Boromir. I-I think I'm in love with him." She stuttered over her words a bit and I started to worry. I had never, ever, in all the long years I've known Natalie, seen her like this before. She was always so confident and sure of herself and now she seemed uncertain and insecure. I didn't know what to say at first so I took a deep breath before replying. "Then I think, maybe you should tell him how you feel. It'll be better that way." I told her as I looked her in the eyes. Francesca nodded in agreement. Natalie looked afraid for minute. "But, what if he doesn't feel the same way? What do I do then?" she bit her lip. "Natalie, I've seen how you two interact and I've watched you guys for a while. Something tells me he's gonna feel the same way." Francesca replied. "Exactly. It'll work out." I added but I'm almost certain she didn't believe me. Natalie screwed her lips to the side and made a face. Yep, she didn't buy it. "Okay. I'll tell him tomorrow. Cross my heart. Good night!" Natalie crossed her heart and went back to sleep. _It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all…. Oh for the love of meep! Who am I kidding?! She's going to be heartbroken! _

"So now what?" Francesca looked up at me. "Get down and pretend to be asleep for a minute." I told her as I noticed Frodo getting up to follow Galadriel. I slumped back into my blankets and closed my eyes until I heard Frodo's soft footsteps fade away. "What do you want to talk about now?" I asked Francesca softly as we both sat up again. "I still want to know about you and Legolas. What's the deal with that?" Francesca smirked at me. I glared at her for a moment before sighing. "I thought I told you this already. I admit it, I like him." I whispered. Francesca raised an eyebrow at me questioningly. "Okay, okay. You win, I'll tell you. I, uh, uhhm, I love him." I coughed the last part and felt my face getting red. "What? I didn't quite catch that." Francesca's smirk grew and I knew immediately that she was full of shit. "You heard me damn well. I love him." I repeated. "I know. I just wanted to hear you say it." My friend replied with a huge grin on her face. "Screw you." I narrowed my eyes. "When do you plan on telling him?" she asked. "As soon as I figure out how I'm going to do it." I told her. She grinned again. "Good night. I'm going to sleep." Francesca said with a yawn as she left and went back to where she was sleeping. This left me alone with my thoughts for a while. _How am I going to tell him and when am I going to do it? Will I even be able to work up the courage to tell him? What the hell am I going to say? I can't just walk up to him and say 'I love you!' Universe! Why you so damn confuzzling? *Insert why you no meme here.*_

**Author's note: AARRGH! Lots of guy drama in this chapter! Nyeeegh! On another note, we finally got confessions out of me and Natalie! The next chapter should be pretty fun as I am going to include a little bit of Natalie and Boromir fluff. I also plan on going back into Legolas's POV for a bit. For anyone who cares, I went back to school today! Because of this I may not have as much time for writing as I have had over the summer and updates might be a bit farther between. I know it sucks, but until I find a balance between my schoolwork, my Ju Jitsu classes, my social life and my writing, it'll have to be this way. READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	17. Chapter 17

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISLCAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT I REFERENCE! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS!**

Chapter Seventeen

Natalie's POV

Most of the next day was pretty boring. There wasn't a whole lot to do. It felt weird after travelling for a while just to be able to sit and do nothing. The elves gave Olympia, Kate, Francesca and I our other clothes back. "Hallelujah!" Olympia yelled before running off somewhere to get changed. She then gave back the dress and came to sit by me. Francesca and Kate also went somewhere and changed back into their other clothes. "Hiya!" Olympia grinned at me and put my other clothes in my lap. "Thanks. You're in a good mood now, aren't ya?" I asked her with a smirk. "Yep! I got my clothes back! No more dresses for me!" she threw her arms up in the air happily. "Well, not right now anyway. I'm sure you'll have to wear a dress again at some point." I pointed out. "Must you ruin everything?!" Olympia laughed. "Yes, yes I must." I replied. Olympia narrowed her eyes for a second, then we both started to laugh.

After a moment of chuckling on our part, Olympia's face lost all traces of laughter and merriment and whatnot. She suddenly became serious again like she was last night when we were talking with Francesca and I already knew what she was going to ask. "Do you have a plan yet for, you know?" she asked with a quick, discreet glance in Boromir's direction. Yep, I totally saw that one coming. _How am I going to do that? I have to do it today, I freaking crossed my heart! _"I'm going to wait until I can talk to him alone. I can't really say that when everyone else is around." I answered her, coming up with that plan on the spot. Olympia seemed to think I'd thought on that and nodded slowly. "Maybe I can help with that." She whispered to me, a grin suddenly on her face. "How so?" I arched an eyebrow. Olympia's grin grew bigger and she winked at me before standing up and walking to the middle of our camp.

"Who wants to come exploring with me?" she asked in general. Kate, Francesca, Merry and Pippin all stood up to go with her. Frodo elected to stay behind, his reason being that he had a lot on his mind. And he did, poor little hobbit had to carry the freaking Ring around for God's sake! Sam decided to stay with him. Such a good friend he is. Aragorn and Legolas were sitting on the other side of the camp doing whatever it is they were doing. I didn't really care. _Bless you Olympia, it wasn't a bad idea. But that didn't help worth a shit. _Olympia and everyone else who was bored to death left a minute later with Kate yelling back to us, "I promise I'll keep them from disturbing the peace!" I chuckled to myself. Leave it to Kate to be the responsible one. Of course, Olympia, Francesca and I can be responsible too. When we want to be. Soon, I finally got sick of my dress and went to change.

After I came back I sat for a moment, trying to decide what to do. _I don't think Sam, Frodo, Aragorn or Legolas is going to be overly interested what I'm doing at present. But, I don't want anyone else to hear. I know they won't eavesdrop but it's so freaking quiet here that they'll probably hear me even if I whisper. Nah, I'll wait for the opportune moment. Dammit, now I sound like Jack Sparrow! Well, I'm bored! I wonder…...Would I be able to catch up to Kate and company without getting lost if I left right now? Meh, it's worth a shot. _I stood up and dusted myself off and headed in the direction Kate and company had gone in.

"Where are you going?" Boromir looked at me curiously, stopping me in my tracks before I had even left the camp. "I'm going to find where Kate, Francesca, Olympia, Merry, and Pippin went. I don't really have anything to do and I'm bored." I told him. Boromir looked at the ground for a minute as if pondering some great philosophical thing. He then stood up and walked over to me. "May I join you?" he asked. "Uh, sure." I whispered, not entirely trusting my voice as I was suddenly very nervous. Boromir gave me a small smile and we headed off.

We walked through the woods for a while, looking for any sign of our other friends. There was absolutely nothing. "How on earth is it that they travel so fast, yet leave absolutely nothing behind for us to track them by? I mean I know they're elves and hobbits and all but this is just insanity!" I mused, seeing as we hadn't found any trace of them yet. "I do not know." Boromir shrugged lightly as we continued through the forest. My heart was pounding and I marveled at the fact that Boromir couldn't hear it. It's all I could freaking hear. I took in the scenery around us. This place really was beautiful. All the trees looked golden and the wind rustled the leaves ever so slightly, giving it a sort of peaceful atmosphere. We were completely silent, neither of us spoke and soon it became awkward. _Should I say something to him? Damn this awkward silence! _

Sooner than I thought we would, we heard the sounds of our friends talking not too far from where we were. "Are we lost?" Merry's voice asked. "Nope! Camp's back that way!" Olympia stated. I'm assuming she was pointing in whatever direction they had come from. "Alright." Merry replied. "Did anyone bring food? I'm hungry." Pippin said. "No, we didn't bring any food. And Pippin, you're always hungry." Kate replied. "I believe we've found them, Lady Natalie." Boromir told me, smiling a huge smile, and he started in their direction. _If ever there was an opportune moment, it would be now. Oh god. _I thought as I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves….and failing miserably.

"Wait!" I called to Boromir. "What is it? Did you not want to find our companions?" Boromir turned back to me, confused. "I-I want to talk to you first." I stuttered. The voices of our friends had died away and now everything was quiet. _If they're listening I'm gonna kill them_. I thought as Boromir walked back over to me and we stood together for a moment. "What would you like to talk about?" Boromir asked me, his eyebrows still furrowed in confusion."Well first of all; please just call me Natalie. I don't like the formal title." I said. There was a pause. "There is something else on your mind, Natalie. I can see it in your eyes." Boromir stated after staring at me intently for a minute. I felt like he could see into my soul. "There's uh, something I want to tell you." I started, having no idea what-so-freaking-ever as to how I should say this. _Just do it! What's the worst that could happen? WAIT! Don't answer that! Just tell him dammit! _Boromir looked at me expectantly as I waged this mental battle against myself.

_It's now or never…_ I thought as I took a deep breath. "BoromirIthinkIloveyou." I said in a rushed whisper. I could feel my face heat up and I turned my gaze down to my feet. _Dammit! I'm blushing! I NEVER BLUSH! Like, ever! GRRRR! _There was an awkward silence for a minute before Boromir let out a small sigh of…..Was that relief? No, it couldn't have been. Could it? He walked right up in front of me and took my chin in his hand and turned my face up so he could see me. "Natalie, you will never know how glad I am to hear you say that." Boromir said. I looked at him curiously as I pondered these words. _What the flying fladoodles?! Does this mean that...?_ I didn't even have the heart to finish that thought.

"Natalie, I love you as well. I know we have not known one another for very long. However I fell as though I have known you for my entire life. I-" Boromir admitted. He probably would have said more but I cut him off with a huge bear hug. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me back. I've got no idea how long we stood like that, but eventually I pulled back and looked at him with a huge stupid grin on my face. Boromir also had a huge smile on. "I think we should probably go back. I'd be willing to bet that Kate and Francesca and company have gotten back to camp by now and everyone wants to know where the hell we've gotten to." I told him as I looked up to the sky and saw that it was kinda dark.

"You are right. We should return to camp soon." Boromir agreed. "Boromir, I think we can make them wait just a minute longer." I stated, completely contradicting what I had just said. Boromir just looked at me. Blushing tomato red, I leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Okay, we can go now!" I told him. Boromir looked stunned for a second, then we walked back to camp together.

*Olympia POV*

My merry team of adventurers and I had come back to camp just after sunset. "Where are Boromir and Miss Natalie?" Sam asked after we had all settled down. "I didn't know that they left." I told him. "They went off in search of you not long after you left." Frodo explained. "We didn't see them." Francesca knit her eyebrows together in confusion. "Where could they be?" Aragorn wondered. I shrugged. "What should we do?" Merry joined the conversation.

"What should we do about what?" I heard a voice behind me and turned around to see Natalie and Boromir walking back towards us, Natalie with a shit eating grin on her face and Boromir looking slightly stunned. Then I realized the most surprising part, they were holding hands. _Good God, what did she do?! _I wondered when I saw Boromir's expression. "And just where the hell have you two been?" Francesca smirked. "Around." Natalie answered vaguely as she came to sit beside me. "You told him didn't you?" I asked her. "Yep!" she nodded. "Why does he look shell-shocked?" I asked as I saw Boromir walk and sit close to Natalie, not right next to her, but still kinda close. "I kissed him on the cheek." Natalie explained. "Well, that answers that question." I chuckled. Natalie shrugged. "I'm going to assume he loves you too." I said after a minute. Natalie blushed and looked down at her feet. Very strange, Natalie doesn't blush. Ever. I've never seen it happen before now. "Yes." She said quietly. _Aha. So that was the reason for the blush. God bless ya Natalie! I really hope she enjoys this moment, I'm afraid it's not going to last very long. It's gonna suck when there's no chocolate or ice cream for her. She'll need lots and lots of hugs. Why am I thinking about such depressing things?! MEEP! _

Soon after Natalie and Boromir came back we ate dinner. After that we hung out for a while and Kate let me braid her hair. "I feel like I've been missing something. What happened with you and Boromir earlier today?" Kate asked Natalie once we all sat down to chat. "I told him I loved him and he loves me too. And then I kissed him on the cheek." Natalie spilled her beans and Kate gasped dramatically. "Oooooh." Kate grinned. Natalie smacked her leg and Francesca burst out laughing. I laughed too as I continued braiding my sister's hair. She taught me all sorts of braids and stuff when we were kids. One does not simply live with my sister and not know these things. It's not possible. I would know; I've tried. I tied a small strip of leather in Kate's hair to keep the braid together and we laughed and talked for a while. Eventually, Francesca, Natalie and I fell asleep.

*Legolas POV*

Soon after Olympia, Natalie and Francesca fell asleep Kate walked over to me and sat down. They had all asked us not to use formal titles at one point or another. Why however, I do not know. Kate studied me for a moment. "Legolas, is something wrong? It seems like there's something on your mind." She said. "I do not know. There have been many things on my mind as of late." I answered her. "Like what?" she raised an eyebrow at me. "Olympia. I have found myself thinking about your sister almost constantly. I feel drawn to her somehow. I do not know why, though I feel as though I must protect her. That does not make sense, I know that should the need arise, Olympia is very capable of defending herself." I started. Kate looked deep in thought.

"You got that right. She can defend herself. But sometimes she does need a little bit of protecting. For some reason, Olympia has never liked having to ask for help. But sometimes she bites off a bit more than she can chew. She's an independent person. In school she was so shy and she didn't talk very much. Her teachers would tell our mom this and she'd say to them 'Really? She doesn't shut up at home!' She confuses me sometimes. When she's around people she doesn't know well and when she's at school, she's the shy, quiet girl who never raises her hand. When she's at home or with her friends she's talkative and fun but also kind, calm and a total sweetheart. But if you get on her bad side or if her friends are in trouble she'll kick your ass in about a bajillion ways and not even think twice about it. She's got a sort of 'Thou shalt not take shit' attitudes, meaning she stands up for herself and her beliefs and doesn't let anyone push her around. She's a complex person. Anyone who knows her well enough will honestly say that she'll stand by her friends and people she cares about." Kate said.

"Remind me not to get on her bad side." I murmured. Kate laughed at this. "I don't think you'll need reminding now. Besides, she considers you and everyone in the Fellowship her friends. She can't stay mad at her friends and she'll defend any one of us here until her last breath. She's determined sometimes to the point of stubbornness and sometimes that gets her in trouble." Kate continued. I smiled inwardly, glad that Olympia would count me among her friends. "It seems there is more to her than meets the eye." I concluded. "You bet. She's one of a kind; I can't find any words that can better describe her. Kate agreed. _Olympia truly is an intriguing person. I agree with Kate; she is one of a kind. Though I still do not understand why I think about her as often as I do, or why my heart races when she looks at me, or why I felt the need to comfort her specifically after Gandalf fell. I cannot bear to see her so upset. I wanted to see her smile and laugh and be happy again. She looks beautiful when she smiles and she has the most infectious laugh. Could I, perhaps, be in love with her? That would explain all of these feelings. _

"Now I know there's something on your mind. I can see it." Kate's voice pulled me from my thoughts. "I think I may be in love with your sister." I admitted to her. "I know. It's written all over your face and I can sense it in the way you talk about her." Kate stated. My eyes widened in shock. If Kate could sense it, does that mean Olympia knows as well? "How is it that you were able to tell? Do you think Olympia knows of my feelings for her?" I asked. "I can read people pretty well. I don't think Olympia knows. If she does, she probably won't say anything about it. She'd be too shy to." Kate answered. "You will not tell her, will you?" I inquired. I did not want Olympia to know quite yet. "I promise I won't tell her." Kate promised. Suddenly, her face was very serious. "But I can also promise you that if you break her heart not only will she hate you for the rest of your immortal life, and it's really hard to get Olympia to truly hate someone, but I will break your face." She told me with a threatening glare. "I would never dream of hurting your sister." I assured her. "Good. Good night!" Kate smiled cheerfully and walked back to her bedroll and fell asleep.

**Author's note: *head-desks* Is it just me, or was everyone kinda OOC in this chapter? Kate's pretty damn scary when she wants to be huh? I referenced an episode of Avater: The Last Airbender in this chapter. Virtual high five for you if you can find it! I did not make up the phrase 'Thou shalt not take shit' I found it somewhere on the internet and I take not credit for that phrase whatsoever. Anyway, READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	18. Chapter 18

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT I REFERENCE! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES!**

Chapter Eighteen

Olympia's POV

I stood silently between Francesca and Legolas as the elves in front of us came forward and fastened the leaf shaped brooches of our new cloaks. The cloaks were a green/gray color and very lightweight. I smiled up at the she-elf who had given me my cloak, she smiled back at me for a moment before she and the others stepped back. Yeah, I had to look up to see her. I feel so freaking short around all these people! Well, except for the hobbits and Gimli. I'm still taller than them.

"Never before have we clad strangers in the garb of our own people. May these cloaks help shield you from unfriendly eyes." Lord Celeborn had told us as the elves gave us our cloaks. Soon after we were given our cloaks we started to pack up all of our stuff in the boats and prepare to leave. I really, really didn't want to go. I knew that danger would follow us now and I didn't know if we, meaning Kate, Francesca, Natalie and I, were ready to face it yet. Mainly Natalie. I was seriously worried about that girl. Aaarrrgh! Why is there never any chocolate or ice cream when you need it?! Because damn it to hell we are going to need chocolate and ice cream!

"Lembas! Elvish way bread. One small bite is enough to fill the stomach of a grown man." I heard Legolas explain to Merry and Pippin as they sat in their boat. He put the lembas back in its packaging and put it on the boat with the two hobbits. "How many did you eat?" Merry asked once Legolas had left. "Four." Pippin answered. _Two things. One; how the hell does that not make him sick? Two; what does that say about the appetites of hobbits? _I thought with a small smirk as I helped pack. Soon we were all ready to leave, so we got in our boats and headed off.

Kate and I were sharing a boat with Legolas and Gimli, Natalie was in a boat with Merry, Pippin and Boromir, and Francesca was with Aragorn, Frodo and Sam. As we paddled down the river, I noticed to looks on my companions' faces and knew they were thinking about the gifts Lady Galadriel had given them. A broad smile made its way to my face as I thought about her gift to me.

*Enter Flashback Sequence*

_My gift to you Olympia is a bow and a quiver of arrows. I have been informed of your training with a bow and your steadily increasing skill with it. Use these gifts well. _Lady Galadriel mind-spoke to me. _Meep! _My eyes widened and I felt like a kid in a candy shop when I saw the bow and quiver she handed me. The bow looked very similar to Legolas' and the bows I had seen the elves here use. Of course I hadn't really studied the bow when I was more concerned with the arrow that had been pointed in my face.

_Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! How did you know I wanted a bow? And that I know how to use one? And that my favorite color is purple?! _I wondered as I looked at the arrows and found that their feathers were indeed purple. I wanted to give her a hug, I really did. I had a huge grin on my face and Lady Galadriel laughed and glanced in Legolas's direction. _How did he know I wanted a bow? I know how he knew my favorite color is purple. Did he tell you all of this? _I thought. Lady Galadriel just smiled at me before continuing to my sister and friends. She had given Francesca a dagger with a sheath that vaguely reminded me of the ones she had given Merry and Pippin. Kate had been given a new sheath for her sword and a new dagger and Natalie had been given a new sword. I smiled and mentally thanked God that we'd been given things we would need.

*End Flashback Sequence*

_I'll have to thank Legolas for telling Lady Galadriel about my bow training. I wonder if he planned that with her. That's really sweet. He's getting a hug for this. He just is. _"I have taken my worst wound at this parting. I have looked my last upon that which is fairest." Gimli's voice, and Kate's elbow in my ribs, snapped me back to reality. Mostly Kate's elbow though. "Henceforth I will call nothing fair unless it be her gift to me." Gimli continued. "What was it?" Legolas asked. "I asked her for one hair from her golden head. She gave me three." Gimli whispered the last part and the other three of us smiled at him. 

We continued to make our way down the river for the next few days. I would have loved to enjoy the scenery around us, but I knew that somewhere in those trees were a whole bunch of Uruk-Hai McNasties that were just waiting to ambush us. The fight would come any day now. I was almost sure of it. This is one case in which knowing the future absolutely sucks. Kate, Natalie, Francesca and I often exchanged nervous glances. _Good grief! If we start doing this before every freaking battle, I swear someone's going to have a freaking panic attack! And that would most certainly suck. _

One evening when we had all settled down on the shore, I decided I really wanted to know what lembas tasted like. So, I asked Kate for a piece and she broke off a small chunk and handed it to me. Francesca, Natalie and Kate all looked at me expectantly. I nibbled on it and my eyes all but freaking popped out of my head. "Holy crap this is good." I mumbled. I don't know how to describe what it tastes like because they don't have anything remotely similar back home. Whatever it is, it's good! I felt instantly full, like I had eaten an entire freaking meal. My friends and sister all burst out laughing at my response. Well, that is until they tried the stuff for themselves and found that I was right. Then it was my turn to laugh. They looked really funny all frozen on the spot while in the middle of chewing lembas. We packed our lembas back into our packs and sat around laughing and joking and trying to pretend everyone wasn't about to all separate and go in completely different directions.

That failed miserably and I found myself wondering which way we would all go. _That depends on where we all end up during the battle. I don't know. I want us all to be able to stay together but I've got a feeling it's not going to happen. I won't know what's happened to them until they tell me once all is said and done. By then something super crazy important might have happened. That's going to drive me insane until I know….I'm not going to like not knowing whether or not they're safe. I mean, I know what's going to happen to the original Fellowship; that much is practically set in stone unless we start screwing with the canon. But what about me and Kate and Francesca and Natalie? We're not even supposed to be here! Our safety is by no means guaranteed. We'll all have to be extra über careful to watch out for ourselves. We could all die for all I know! Wow, leave it to me to come up with the most depressing options huh? Meep, meep, meep and again meep. _I thought as I looked out over the river and saw Gollum and his log floating near the opposite shore. I made a face and started fidgeting out of nervousness.

Soon I started fiddling with one of my arrows. I seriously love the fact that the feathers are freaking purple. I love it! Suddenly I remembered that I wanted to ask Legolas whether or not he planned that out with Lady Galadriel and walked over to where he was. "Hi Legolas!" I smiled as I sat down next to Legolas. "Hello, Olympia." He said. I took out one of my arrows and started fiddling with it again. Legolas smiled at me for a second. "Did you have anything to do with this?" I asked, getting right to the point and waving the arrow around a bit for emphasis. "I do not know what you speak of." Legolas replied quickly as he looked at something in the distance. A little too quickly if you ask me. I hesitated for a minute. "Something tells me you do. How did Lady Galadriel know that I've had training with a bow? And how did she know that purple is my favorite color? No one outside the Fellowship knew that about me." I pointed out. Legolas looked at me for a second. "I may have told Lady Galadriel a few things." He smirked a tiny bit and I could have sworn on my life that I saw him blush just a little bit. _Wow, elves blush. Who knew? I sure as hell didn't. _

"Why?" I asked after a moment of awkward silence. "I had a feeling you wanted your own bow and I believe it would do you good in the future." Legolas answered. "So, you're worried about my safety?" I asked after pondering his words for a moment. "Yes." Legolas whispered. I couldn't help but think something along the lines of; _that is so sweet. _I scooted closer and wrapped Legolas in a bear hug. "Thank you. That was really sweet and I really appreciate it." I murmured. After a second, Legolas hugged me back. "I am glad you are happy." He whispered to me. I pulled back after a bit and we sat there. "We should probably, you know, get some rest." I stated awkwardly. I mentally face-palmed. Legolas nodded in agreement and I got up and went back over to where I had set up my stuff. I put down my bow and quiver and went to sleep.

~~~~~meep~~~~~meep~~~~~meep~~~~~

The next day was quite boring seeing as we were stuck in the boats and didn't really have anything to do except for paddle our way down the river. Out of sheer, absolute boredom I started humming 'Row, row, row your boat' to myself to pass the time. Don't judge, it was the first thing that came to my mind. Francesca somehow heard me from her boat and laughed. I stuck my tongue out at her and she did the 'Imaaaginaaation' hand sign thing from SpongeBob while mouthing 'Fuck everything.' I just laughed. At some point during the day we came to these huge statues the held their hands out towards us with their palms facing us. I knew they were kings of long ago but I couldn't remember the name for my life.

"The Argonath. Long have I desired to look upon the kings of old. My kin." Aragorn said as we rowed past, his voice barely above a whisper. _The Argonath! That's the name! *Face-palm* _I remembered. Everyone stared up at the extremely detailed statues as we passed them and I tilted my head all the way back to see their faces. It made me wonder how long it took to build those statues. They were gigantic!

We paddled on past the statues and saw the Falls of Rauros ahead and were forced to pull onto the shore. "We cross the lake at nightfall, hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the north." Aragorn told us as he took some supplies out of the boats. "Oh yes. Just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil; an impassable labyrinth of razor-sharp rocks! And after that, it gets even better!" Gimli protested and Pippin looked absolutely terrified. "Festering, stinking, marshlands as far as the eye can see." Gimli went on. "That is our road. I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength, Master Dwarf." Aragorn replied. Francesca, who had been sitting with and talking to Sam, got a look on her face that plainly read, 'Ooh! You just got pwned!'

"Recover my..? Grrr." Gimli trailed off and began grumbling to himself. I fidgeted in my seat. The McNasties, as I like to call orcs and Uruk Hai and all things of that nature, were coming. I knew that, but I could also feel it. There was just an unsettling feeling around and it was creeping me out. From what I could tell, some of the others felt it too. Legolas walked over to Aragorn and they started whispering amongst themselves. I still heard them and decided to listen in, seeing as I had nothing else really to do.

"We should leave now." Legolas told Aragorn. "No. Orcs patrol the eastern shore. We must wait for cover of darkness." Aragorn argued. Legolas looked around nervously for a moment, as if we were all being watched. I studied the ground at my feet as to not make it obvious that I was eavesdropping. "It is not the eastern shore that worries me. A shadow and a threat has been growing in my mind. Something draws near. I can feel it." Legolas replied, staring off into the trees. "Where's Frodo?" Merry asked suddenly. I looked around quickly and found the hobbit gone. My gaze fell on Boromir's shield, which lay abandoned near his stuff. "And where's Boromir?" I whispered. Sometimes, I really hate knowing the future.

Without another word everyone got up and started looking for Frodo and Boromir. Natalie took off in one direction with Merry and Pippin, Francesca and Sam went another way, and Aragorn bolted in yet another direction. Kate, Legolas, Gimli and I all ran into the trees after sharing 'Oh shit!' faces with each other. Soon we came upon Aragorn, fighting all sorts of McNasties on his own. I knocked an arrow into my bow and fired it into an orc's throat. I stated firing arrows as fast as I could. The orcs that were too close to shoot, I stabbed with arrows.

"Aragorn! Go!" Legolas shouted before shooting through two orcs with the same arrow and stabbing another one in the face. My mind completely turned off when I put my bow on my back and took out my knives. Although I do love shooting a bow, I prefer my combination of knives and Ju Jitsu in close combat situations like this. One Uruk Hai noticed me in the split second where I didn't have a weapon in my hand and came at me. I shuffled towards him and side kicked him in the chest. He stumbled back long enough for Gimli to axe him in the back. Another Uruk Hai swung at me with his sword thing and I ducked, stepping around him and decapitating him from behind. All these assorted McNasties were taller than me, so decapitating one wasn't easy. One of them caught my upper arm and yanked me up off my feet. He glared at me for a moment and raised his sword thing to chop off my head with. Acting on instinct, I kicked him right in the balls. He dropped me and doubled over. I stumbled back a few steps and stabbed him in the neck. I noticed my sister had her hands full with about four Uruk Hai attacking her at once. Another one was sneaking up behind her. He was going to kill her while she had her back turned. The bastard!

"Kate! Behind you!" I shouted, drawing my bow once more and finishing off a few of the ones she had been fighting. Kate drew her dagger and whirled around to stab the Uruk Hai behind her. "Thanks!" I heard her yell over the battle. I ducked and wove my way over to her, never staying in one spot for longer than it took me to slice open an Uruk Hai's throat. Eventually I found myself fighting back to back to back with Kate and Legolas. "What the hell are the odds of this happening?" Kate wondered as she noticed the triangle we formed. "Not very high." I commented as I Sparta kicked a McNasty with all the strength I could muster. He stumbled back quite a bit and charged at me again. I decided to try something amazingly stupid and dangerous simply because it was the first thing to pop into my head. I backed up and ran at the orc head on, ducking down and sliding on my knees as the orc jumped up with his sword raised, ready to stab me had I not moved. I slid behind him while he was in the air, stood up, now behind him, and stabbed him in the back of the neck.

"What the hell was that?!" Kate yelled, apparently catching my little stunt. "The first thing that popped into my head!" I shouted to her. The number of orcs was quickly decreasing and I had the occasional spare second which I used to pick up my arrows. There weren't too many McNasties left in our area when I heard it. Three loud horn notes. The sound carried on the wind and pierced my very soul. "Oh shit!" I swore under my breath. "The Horn of Gondor!" Legolas stated upon hearing the horn as well. "Boromir!" Aragorn yelled and took off in the direction of the sound. My eyes widened and without a second's hesitation I bolted after him towards where I knew would be Boromir's final stand. I knew that once we got there it would be too late. I knew exactly what we would find. But in that moment, I didn't give a woolly rat's ass.

**Author's note: Whew, that chapter was kinda long. I know my ideas for Lady Galadriel's gifts to the girls weren't exactly original but I honestly couldn't come up with anything else. *My eyes suddenly widen* No! I just left another cliffhanger! Sorry guys! I'll try to post the next chapter soon so you don't all die of anticipation! READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	19. Chapter 19

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTING I REFERENCE! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS!**

Chapter Nineteen

Olympia's POV

I ran towards where I had heard the Horn of Gondor as fast as I could, only stopping to kill an Uruk Hai every so often. I heard it again, closer this time as Aragorn and I, being the first ones to arrive on the scene, burst through the trees and started fighting the Uruk Hai in this area of the woods. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Natalie fighting alongside Merry and Pippin on the complete opposite side of the battlefield. She was screaming and yelling at something. She hadn't seen me yet and I wondered what she was yelling about. I didn't have too much time to ponder it as an Uruk Hai swung at me again and I was pulled back into the fight. I flipped my mental switch into kill mode and started slashing and chopping and kicking at anything that came at me.

Soon, Natalie screamed again and this time I was able to turn my head and see why. Boromir, who by this time had two arrows in his chest, stood up and continued fighting like the badass he is. I felt a pang of sorrow in my chest and I could already see tears streaming down the face of one of my closest friends as she tried to fight her way over to Boromir. She wasn't getting anywhere. There was no chance in hell that any of us would get to him in time to help, there were just too many McNasties in the way. With a not so fearsome cry, I plunged my knife into the throat of the nearest Uruk Hai and continued to put up as much of a fight as I could while fighting back tears. I was so close, yet at the same time so far away when Boromir was shot a third time and fell to his knees. _Damn it!_ I swore inwardly as I felt the tears I had been fighting against fall down my face. Merry, Pippin, and Natalie, who was crying and screaming, tried to go to him only to be picked up and carted off by the Uruk Hai. Natalie fought and kicked and I think she actually bit the Uruk Hai holding her, trying to get him to put her down.

"NO! BOROMIR YOU CAN'T DIE! I-I LOVE YOU DAMMIT! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME!" Natalie sobbed as the Uruk Hai carried her, Merry and Pippin off. I nearly burst out sobbing on the spot. Soon I saw that one Uruk Hai had stayed behind; the one that had shot Boromir. He stayed back and prepared to shoot him again at point blank range. I ran towards him from where I had been fighting but I was too far away, Aragorn got to him first and tackled him to the ground. I stood for a moment, not comprehending anything that happened until Aragorn sliced off one of the Uruk Hai's arms and stabbed it. Nothing happened and the McNasty just took hold of Aragorn's sword and pulled in deeper into his chest. _I'm sorry but that's just freaking gross._ I thought, despite the fact that now was not the time to say that. I knew Aragorn could have handled this himself but my body seemed to move on its own accord and I pulled out an arrow and shot it into the Uruk Hai's neck before I even knew what I was doing. Aragorn looked at me for a split second before we both ran towards Boromir.

"They took the little ones! And Natalie!" Boromir choked out as Aragorn and I knelt next to him. "Stay still." Aragorn told him as he looked over Boromir's wounds. "Frodo. Where is Frodo?" Boromir asked. I was frozen on the spot, trying my hardest not to cry again. "I let Frodo go." Aragorn whispered. "Then you did what I could not. I tried to take the Ring from him." Boromir was still somehow managing to speak. "The Ring is beyond our reach now." Aragorn replied. "Forgive me. I did not see. I have failed you all." Boromir said. "No." I managed to squeak past the lump in my throat. "No, Boromir. You fought bravely. You kept your honor." Aragorn told him, then tried to take one of the arrows out of his chest. "Leave it!" Boromir caught his hand. "It is over, the world of Men will fall and all will come to darkness and my city to ruin." Boromir choked on his words. "I do not know what strength is in my blood. But I swear to you, I will not let the White City fall, nor our people fail." Aragorn assured him. "Our people. Our people." Boromir repeated as Aragorn put his sword in his hand and placed his hand across his heart. "I would have followed you, my brother. My Captain. My King." Boromir said. He then glanced at me, as I if noticing I was there for the first time. "Tell Natalie…..I love her. She will always be in my heart." Boromir whispered. And with those as his last words, Boromir of Gondor passed beyond this world. A strangled sob passed my lips and I started to cry. "Be at peace, son of Gondor." Aragorn whispered and kissed Boromir's forehead. "They will look for his coming from the White Tower, but he will not return." Aragorn said sadly as he stood up.

"I'll tell her. I promise. I am proud to have been able to call you my friend, Boromir." I whispered, before getting up, retrieving my last arrow from the Uruk Hai's neck and walking over to where Kate, Gimli and Legolas stood. Kate and I both burst into tears. After what felt like only a few minutes, though I believe it was longer, we laid Boromir in one of the boats with his sword in his hands, his shield above his head and his horn beside him. His horn had been split in half at some point during the battle. I watched with tears running down my face as Boromir's boat floated down the river and over the Falls of Rauros. _Fuck everything. _I thought to myself.

*Francesca's POV*

The sounds of the battle were raging around us as Sam and I ran with all our speed back towards the river where I knew Frodo would be leaving. Frodo and Sam had become my closest friends among the Fellowship other than Kate, Olympia and Natalie. I had lost my aforementioned friends when the fight started and I wasn't about to let Sam and Frodo go out on their own. I wanted to help them, I freaking needed to. I just didn't know how I would do exactly just that.

We burst through the trees only to see Frodo paddling away in a boat. "Frodo, no! Frodo! Mr. Frodo!" Sam yelled. "Frodo wait!" I called to him. Sam and I stopped, now ankle deep in water and watched Frodo paddle away. Sam gave me a look and ran into the water after him. I followed after him and soon we were struggling to swim. "Go back, Sam, Francesca! I'm going to Mordor alone." Frodo told us. _Aww hell no! We're going with you, Frodo. Whether you like it or not. _I thought. "Of course you are! And we're coming with you!" Sam answered. "You can't swim! Sam!" Frodo yelled as Sam flailed and fell underwater. I had made it to the boat and climbed awkwardly on board as Frodo reached into the water to pull Sam up. Sam tumbled into the boat and looked up at Frodo.

"I made a promise, Mr. Frodo. A promise. 'Don't you leave him Samwise Gamgee.' And I don't mean to. I don't mean to." Sam explained and started to sob. "I didn't make that promise out loud Frodo, but I might as well have. I'm not going to leave you to do this on your own. You can count on that." I promised. Frodo wrapped us both in a huge hug. "Come on." Frodo said gently after a moment and we all grabbed oars and started paddling towards the eastern shore. _Over the river and through the woods, on to Mordor we go! _I thought bitterly.

*Kate's POV*

"Hurry! Frodo, Sam and Francesca have reached the eastern shore!" Legolas exclaimed as he pushed our remaining boat into the water, preparing to go after the hobbits. Aragorn sighed and he, Olympia and I looked out over the river to see the three of them run off into the forest on their way to Mordor. Legolas stared at Aragorn for a moment. "You mean not to follow them." He realized. "Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands." Aragorn replied. "Then it has all been in vain. The Fellowship has failed." Gimli muttered.

Legolas, Gimli, Olympia and I all walked over to Aragorn. "Not if we hold true to each other." Aragorn said as he looked at each of us and put either hand on Legolas's and Gimli's shoulders. "We will not abandon Merry, Pippin and Natalie to torment and death." He continued. I saw Olympia's hands clench into fists as he said this. If I know my sister, she was thinking something along the lines of 'Oh hell no we won't'. "Leave all that can be spared behind. We travel light. Let's hunt some Orc." Aragorn finished, picking up a dagger from the ground and running off into the trees.

"Yeah! Haha!" Gimli laughed heartily and ran after him. Olympia smiled demonically and gave a fierce shout of "Aww hell yeah!" before she, Legolas and I, ran into the woods after Gimli and Aragorn.

**Author's note: AAHHH! I know, I know. I killed off Boromir. But it's a part of the canon. *hides under my desk again* I know you want to, but please don't kill me. You won't get any more chapters if you do! I apologize for the shortness of this chapter but if I included it in the last one it would have been too long. The next chapters will be longer I promise! We have now come to the conclusion of Fellowship of the Ring. What will happen to our lunatic protagonists when shit gets intense? How will the whole Legolas-Olympia scenario play out? Seriously, will I ever stop asking my wonderful readers questions that not even I know the answers to yet? As I have previously stated, probably not! *insert creepy high pitched singsong voice here* But you'll have to stay tuned if you want to find out! *end creepy voice* READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	20. Chapter 20

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS! **

**Author's note: I feel the need to warn you that there is a small time skip from the end of the last chapter until now. Meep!**

Chapter Twenty

Francesca's POV

The next few days after we left the Fellowship felt like a blur to me. One night after we decided to rest, Frodo had had a nightmare about Gandalf's death. I only remember because his shout woke me up. After Sam made sure he was okay, physically at least, I fell asleep again. It wasn't a deep sleep and I was still somewhat aware of what was going on around me. My eyes flew open when I heard Gollum's voice from above us. I stayed still, hoping he hadn't seen my eyes and thought I was still asleep.

"The thieves….The thieves. The filthy little thieves. Where is it? Where is it? They stole it from us. My precious. Curse them! We hates them! It's ours it is, and we wants it!" Gollum ranted, reaching a hand forward towards Frodo. At this, Sam, Frodo, and I jumped up and yanked Gollum off the rocks and to the ground. Gollum pushed me to the ground and I landed on my ass, hard, it hurt. _Son of a bitch! He's stronger than he looks! Owww. _I thought as I rolled away. When I looked up, I saw Frodo trying to wrestle Gollum off of him. Apparently, the little shit knew Frodo had the Ring and was trying to get it back. Sam tried to drag Gollum off Frodo by his foot, but was promptly bitch slapped by Gollum. Yeah, Gollum actually bitch slapped Sam. In a non life threatening situation, I'd have been rolling on the floor laughing. Sam fell to the ground with a thud and Gollum went back to trying to wrestle Frodo. Sam and I went and dragged Gollum off our friend. Frodo went flying into a rock face and Gollum jumped off the rocks at him again. Sam pulled him up and suddenly they were on the ground and Gollum was trying to strangle Sam. I reached for my short sword to help, but Frodo beat me to it. He had Sting out and at Gollum's throat in seconds.

"This is Sting. You've seen it before. Haven't you, Gollum? Release him, or I'll cut your throat." Frodo threatened. Gollum shrieked something I couldn't comprehend but he released Sam.

Soon, we were on the road again, wandering through the rocks of Emyn Muil, and we were taking Gollum with us. Sam had tied his elvish rope around Gollum's neck. Freaking Gollum was screaming and protesting the whole way. I think my eardrums have suffered permanent damage.

"It burns! It burns us! It freezes! Nasty elves twisted it!" Gollum wailed as he flailed, trying to get away from us and the rope. "I'm gonna pretend he didn't just insult elves." I muttered as I tried to block out Gollum's complaining, absolutely failing at it I might add. "Take it off us." Gollum looked at Frodo with the most pitiful, pathetic looking expression I have ever seen in my life. _Wow. You're just a manipulative little bastard aren't ya?_ "Quiet you!" Sam yelled at him. "It's hopeless! Every orc in Mordor's going to hear this racket! Let's just tie him up and leave him." Sam turned to Frodo as he said this. "I would second that at this point." I added, flinching as Gollum screeched again.

"No! That would kill us! Kill us!" Gollum sobbed. "It's no more than you deserve!" Sam snapped back. "Maybe he does deserve to die. But now that I see him, I do pity him." Frodo stated, his voice soft and calm. _What?! _I mentally shouted as we watched Gollum writhing and wailing on the ground. Gollum stopped his racket for a minute to look at Frodo. "We be nice to them if they be nice to us. Take it off us. We swears to do what you wants. We swears." Gollum said, bowing his head down to the ground. "There's no promise you can make that I can trust." Frodo replied. _A very good point. I wouldn't trust him even if my life depended on it._ "We swears to serve the master of the precious. We swears on…on the precious." Gollum promised. "The Ring is treacherous; it will hold you to your word." Frodo informed him. "Yes, on the precious. On the precious." Gollum assured him.

"I don't believe you!" Sam shouted, rushing towards Gollum, who ran away and up a nearby rock. "Get down! I said, down!" Sam yelled, pulling on the rope and causing Gollum to fall. "Sam!" Frodo yelped, going to him and stopping him from yanking the rope again. "He's trying to trick us. If we let him go he'll throttle us in our sleep!" Sam exclaimed. Frodo walked over to Gollum, standing in front of him. Gollum backed up.

"You know the way to Mordor?" he asked. "Yes." Gollum answered. Frodo knelt down in front of Gollum, looking him right in the eyes. "You've been there before?" he continued. "Yes." Gollum whimpered and Frodo took the rope off his neck. "You will lead us to the Black Gate." Frodo told him, standing back up. Gollum took off on all fours through the rocks and we rushed after him.

"To the Gate, to the Gate! To the Gate, master says. Yes!" Gollum, or rather Smeagol at the moment, muttered frantically. "No, we won't go back! Not there. Not to him. They can't make us. Gollum! Gollum!" Gollum argued with himself. "But we swore to serve the master of the precious." Smeagol responded. "No. Ashes and dust and thirst is there, and pits, pits, pits. And orcses, thousands of orcses. And always the Great Eye watching, watching." Gollum continued his insane ramblings until he saw us catch up to him. He then screamed at the top of his freaking lungs and bolted. _Bastard! Schizophrenic little bastard! _I thought, now thoroughly pissed off with him, seeing as I held him responsible for the massive headache of epic proportions that I now had.

"Hey! Come back now! Come back!" Sam yelled as we chased after him for a bit. "There. What did I tell you? He's run off the old villain. So much for his promises." Sam continued as we caught our breath. Gollum suddenly reappeared out of nowhere. "This way hobbits! Follow me!" he said in what I'm assuming was supposed to be a sweet voice. And with that, we were off. Again. Woo.

*Natalie's POV*

_He's gone. He's gone. Just like that. Boromir's dead. Why?! Dammit to hell, why didn't I do something! I love him! Fuck the canon! I should've saved him! He didn't deserve to die. _These were the only thoughts that I could comprehend as Merry, Pippin and I were jumbled around on the backs of the Uruk Hai that were carrying us. They were absolutely disgusting and I wanted to be sick. Fortunately, or possibly unfortunately, there was nothing in my stomach for me to puke up. Suddenly, the McNasty that was carrying me stopped and I jerked forward a bit. Wait, did I just say McNasty? I'm turning into Olympia! What is this?! As the Uruk Hai argued with a band of orcs that we had met, I looked over at Merry and Pippin. Merry was unconscious and had a gash on the side of his face that looked pretty nasty.

"Merry! Merry, wake up!" Pippin pleaded with the unconscious hobbit. "My friend is sick! He needs water!" Pippin said to a nearby Uruk Hai with a flask. Another Uruk Hai came out of the crowd and asked, "Sick is he? Give him some medicine boys!" One of the McNasties went and poured some foul ass looking liquid into Merry's mouth. Merry woke up and started coughing. "Stop it!" Pippin begged. "Can't take his draught!" Some random Uruk Hai shouted and the rest started laughing. I started swearing under my breath, using every kind of curse word I've ever heard, which is a lot. Hopefully Pippin didn't hear me and wouldn't start using curse words from my world. Although, that would be kinda funny. Leave it to me to come up with this kind of shit.

"Leave him alone!" both Pippin and I shouted, seeing Merry still coughing. "Why? You want some?" The Uruk with the 'medicine' asked. This earned him a head shake from Merry and a death glare of death from me. Yes, death glare of death, from the redundancy department of redundancy. But seriously, I would have shot laser beams out of my eyeballs at him if I could have. "Then keep your mouth shut!" the Uruk told us as he stalked away. I chomped down on my lip. The defiant side of me had wanted to say 'Make me!' But my logical side apparently thought that was a bad idea and apparently also knew that if I did that, I would probably get some of the 'medicine' they'd given Merry. Or worse. And let's just say that I would rather wake Olympia up at 1:00 in the morning and face her wrath than have to stomach that shit.

"Merry." Pippin whispered. "Hello, Pip. Hello Natalie." Merry looked up at us. "You're hurt." Pippin pointed out. "I'm fine. It was just an act." Merry told him. "An act?" Pippin asked. "You son of a bitch that was…...You know what? I don't even know what that was." I managed a small smirk. "See? I fooled you too. Don't worry about me, Pippin. You either Natalie." Merry said. Suddenly some random Uruk Hai started sniffing the air really obnoxiously.

"What is it? What do you smell?" Another Uruk Hai asked. "Man-flesh." The first Uruk Hai replied. Both the Uruk Hai and some of the orcs started looking around nervously. _Do they really think that Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and anyone else who came this way are just going to pop out of nowhere and slaughter all of them? How freaking stupid are these things? _"They've picked up our trail! Let's move!" The second random Uruk Hai shouted. "Aragorn." Pippin whispered. I swore again, out loud this time. Merry raised his eyebrows at my language choice. And then they were running again and I was, once again, bouncing around on some random Uruk Hai's back. Oh what fun! Note the sarcasm. As we were bouncing around, Pippin pulled the leaf brooch off his cloak with his teeth. He took it and he threw it on the ground. See this? This is what happens when you watch The Lonely Island too much.

*Olympia's POV*

We've been running for I think three days now with no rest. At one point during the third day, Aragorn stopped at the top of a hill, put his head down on a rock and listened to the pounding feet of the Uruk Hai. How he did it, I don't know. "Their pace has quickened. They must have caught our scent. Hurry!" He shouted the last part down to Legolas, Kate and I about halfway up the hill. "Come on Gimli!" Legolas yelled down the hill to Gimli as we took off again.

"Three days and nights pursuit. No food. No rest. And no sign of our quarry but what bare rock can tell." Gimli panted from somewhere behind us. We ran down the small hill and along the side of a deep valley. I looked down for a second and saw the river running along far below us. Legolas, Kate and I were all running neck and neck to each other. _And here I used to wonder why people called him Strider. _I thought as I looked up to see Aragorn ahead of us by a good ten feet or so. Gimli was lagging behind us a bit. A while later, Aragorn stopped and stooped down to pick something up.

"Not idly do the leaves of Lórien fall." Aragorn whispered as Kate, Legolas and I caught up. I looked down and saw that he held the leaf-shaped brooch of Pippin's cloak in fingers. "They may yet be alive." Legolas told him. "Less than a day ahead of us. Come." Aragorn said as he got up and we ran off again. I heard Gimli stumble and roll down the hill we had come down and winced slightly. "Come Gimli! We're gaining on them!" Legolas called over his shoulder to Gimli.

"I'm wasted on cross country! We dwarves are natural sprinters, very dangerous over short distances." Gimli yelled up to us. _Whatever you say, Gimli. Whatever you say. _I thought. Soon we ran up to the top of a nearby hill and looked out over the rocky plains below us. Kate nudged me with her elbow and smiled. I knit my eyebrows together, confused. 'Wait for it.' She mouthed to me.

"Rohan, home of the Horse-lords. There's something strange at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creatures; sets its will against us." Aragorn whispered. I looked up at my sister and raised an eyebrow. She smacked my arm and gave me a look. Legolas ran down the hill and ahead of us a little bit to get a better view of the Uruk Hai. "Legolas, what do your elf eyes see?" Aragorn shouted over to him. _Oh, so this is what Kate was talking about. _I thought with a smile.

"The Uruks turn northeast. They're taking the hobbits to Isengard!" Legolas shouted back to us. After grinning like an idiot for a second, I stared out onto the plains and saw a black mass heading in a general northeast direction. _Grrr! So close and yet so far! I'll have to knock some Uruk skulls soon enough anyway. Shit. No! No more thinking about battles until they actually come! _I thought while trying desperately not to laugh as Kate started humming the 'They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard!' song under her breath. Sometimes I want to smack Natalie for showing us that YouTube video. I bit my lip and sent her a 'Shut up. Now.' look. "Saruman." Aragorn hissed and we continued to run after the Uruk hai.

"Keep breathing. That's the key, breathe." Gimli advised at one point during the day. "They've run as if the very whips of their masters were behind them." Legolas commented. I turned my gaze towards the huge band of Uruk Hai we were chasing. Legolas was right, they were running like hell and we were too far behind to do anything. I settled for death glaring at them. "You could say that again." Kate muttered. I opened my mouth and took an over exaggerated breath in preparation to say it again. "Not literally, smart ass." Kate warned me. I chuckled and shut my mouth. We continued running and I was left to think. Now that I think on it, I was extremely worried about them. Merry and Pippin would be fine, that much I knew. But a very emotional and very cranky Natalie wasn't factored into the real story. I was afraid she would let her emotions get the better of her and throw a rage fit on the Uruk Hai. Kate, who was running with me on my left, seemed to read my mind and know exactly what I was thinking.

"I'm worried about them too, Olympia." She whispered to me. I gave her a half-hearted smile. "I know. I'm afraid Natalie might throw a bitch fit." I whispered. "Bitch fit? Only you would come up with a line like that." Kate replied, rolling her eyes as she did so. I shrugged and continued to run.

Later that night, I found myself running with Legolas. Kate had somehow tapped into some secret energy reserve and was managing to keep up with Aragorn. Gimli was still trailing a bit behind. "Hi." I whispered. "Hello." Legolas whispered back. "I'm scared for them." I said. "I am as well." He replied. "I hate being stuck in the middle." I stated simply. "What are you referring to?" Legolas asked. "We're close enough to see those who are holding our friends captive. I would have said people, except well, they're not. But at the same time, we're too far away to help them. It annoys me, greatly." I explained. Legolas nodded. Then, there was just silence. It wasn't an awkward silence; it was just one of those times where no one had anything to say. Kate had come to run by us again and started humming a familiar tune. I smiled a little.

"Another turning point a fork stuck in the road. Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go. So make the best of this test and don't ask why. It's not a question but a lesson learned in time. It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right. I hope you had the time of your life. So take the photographs and still frames in your mind. Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time." I sang softly before forgetting the rest of the words and trailing off. Kate continued humming for a bit.

"Oh, why'd you stop?" she asked after realizing that I'd stopped. "I forgot the rest of the words." I admitted. Kate shrugged. We ran for the rest of the night. We didn't talk much, but when we did it was about random stuff and usually ended with me singing under my breath to whatever song popped into my head, usually those songs were sad. Eventually all conversation stopped and we were just running. _Wow, I really shouldn't sing sad songs. They bring up memories from home. What happened back there? Surely someone noticed we're gone by now. It makes me feel guilty, knowing that everyone back home is freaking out not knowing what happened to us and for the moment we're perfectly fine. I mean, we just disappeared without a trace. I can just see what mom and dad's faces would have looked like when they found out. And what about Bella? Did mom and dad take her? _My thoughts trailed off as I imagined how my parents must have looked when they found out Kate and I were gone. I imagined my mom running a hand through her brown hair that had a few grey streaks and tears falling from her kind blue eyes. I was reminded that Kate was practically the spitting image of our mother. I imagined my dad all but pulling his, also graying, dark brown hair out and his green eyes shining with unshed tears. Yeah, I'm the only living member of my family with light-ish hair. I remember my aunts and my abuela, as we call my grandmother, helping me search through photo albums for years to find someone else with dirty blonde/ possibly light brown-ish hair like mine. And when we finally came across a picture of my great grandma when she was young, we found that I was her doppelganger, to put it simply. For some odd reason, I imagined our puppy Bella curled up, staring with wide frightened eyes at the T.V., which only showed the blue screen of death. I bit my bottom lip and shook my head in an attempt to push the heart-breaking images and memories from my mind.

**Author's note: Wow. I think this chapter might be the longest one yet. Anyway, I don't know exactly where all this angst is coming from but yeah. Lame explanation is lame. READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	21. Chapter 21

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANY OTHER THINGS I REFERENCE! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES RESPECTIVELY! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND ANY OCS THAT APPEAR!**

Chapter Twenty One

Natalie's POV

The Uruk Hai ran on and on all freaking day and late into the night. When they finally stopped, Merry, Pippin and I were dropped on the ground like luggage, which in hindsight I guess we were. But that's not the point! I landed painfully on my back and had the breath knocked out of me. _Damn Uruk Hai. Oww, my back._ I thought as I rolled over on my side, away from the hobbits and gasped for breath.

"We're not going no further 'til we've had a breather!" One of the orcs complained. "Get a fire going!" An Uruk Hai ordered. A bunch of Orcs and Uruk Hai ran into the forest to collect some fire wood. Pippin started mat crawling towards where Merry had landed and I, having finally gotten my breath back, wriggled my way over to them.

"Merry! Merry!" Pippin said as he crawled. "I think we might have made a mistake leaving the Shire, Pippin." Merry whispered. Amidst the sound of the Uruk Hai chopping and hacking up the trees they'd cut down, a loud sort of groaning noise was heard. "What's making that noise?" Pippin asked. _It was my stomach, Pippin, because I am freaking hungry! _I thought sarcastically. "It's the trees." Merry answered, looking at the forest around us. "What?" Pippin looked up at Merry, confused. "You remember the Old Forest, on the borders of Buckland? Folk used to say there was something in the water that made the trees grow tall, and come alive." Merry explained. "Alive?" Pippin interrupted. "Trees that could whisper, talk to each other, even move." Merry continued. "Yeah, we've got boring normal trees back home." I muttered.

"I'm starving! We ain't had nothing but maggoty bread for three stinking days!" Some random Uruk Hai rudely interrupted our little conversation with his complaints about the food. "Yeah! Why can't we have some meat?!" An orc agreed, then turned towards us with a look on his face that I know meant we were in deep shit. "What about them? They're fresh." The orc continued. _AWW HELL NO! If you touch me, or them, I will kick your ass all the way back to Mordor! How I'll do that when I'm all tied up I don't know. But mark my words. I will! _I thought.

"They are not for eating!" The Uruk Hai leader growled. As he said this, another Uruk Hai came over and dragged Merry, Pippin and I away from the orcs who wanted to eat us. We were put down again sitting upright. Another random orc looked over at us. "What about their legs? They don't need those." He said. I felt my eyes widen and I fidgeted while Merry and Pippin looked down at their legs. "Oh they look tasty." The orc continued and moved towards us. He was shoved backwards by the Uruk Hai and all the McNasties started to growl and hiss at each other.

"Get back scum! The prisoners go to Saruman. Alive and unspoiled." The Uruk Hai leader stated. "Alive?" The orc who wanted to eat our legs asked and moved towards us again. I fidgeted some more, trying to get away from him. Being near orcs in general is a bad idea. Being near orcs that want to eat you is suicidal. "Why alive? Do they give good sport?" he continued excitedly. I stuck my tongue out and pulled a face.

"They have something. An elvish weapon. The master wants it for the war." The Uruk Hai leader explained. Some of the orcs that I saw made faces at the mention of elves. This made me smirk slightly. For whatever reason, my twisted mind found that somewhat funny.

"They think we have the Ring." Pippin whispered. "Shut up! If they find out we don't we're gonna be dinner!" I hissed softly, cutting off Merry from saying something of the like.

"Just a mouthful. A bit off the flank." An orc's voice sounded from behind us and I awkwardly spun around to see one of the ones who wanted to eat us raise his sword/weapon/whatever you want to call it. Suddenly, the Uruk Hai leader spun around and hacked off the orc's head. Said head rolled off our shoulders and the body fell to the ground behind us. "Looks like meat's back on the menu boys!" The Uruk Hai shouted. The McNasties all stampeded towards the dead orc and started ripping it apart, knocking Merry, Pippin and I over in the process. _Okay, that is completely disgusting. _I thought.

"Pippin, Natalie. Let's go." Merry whispered as we began to crawl away from the fight. Suddenly Merry gasped and Pippin and I flipped over to see the orc who wanted to eat our legs with his boot on Merry's back. "Go on, call for help. Squeal. No one's gonna save you now." He taunted us. A spear suddenly came out of nowhere and hit the orc in the back. He fell over dead. I heard the sound of thundering horse's hooves and whinnies. Then, chaos ensued as the people I knew to be the Riders of Rohan attacked the McNasties. _You want to rephrase that line of shit? _I thought as I barrel rolled out of the way of a random flying weapon. "Pippin!" Merry shouted. Pippin rolled over just in time to scream and roll out of the way of the horse that had reared up right in front of the poor hobbit.

After Pippin's near death experience, we unanimously decided, without even having to speak, to get the hell out of there. Pippin immediately set to work trying to cut the ropes on his hands on a nearby axe that was embedded in the ground. I did the same on another nearby discarded weapon and then untied the ropes on my ankles. When I looked up, both Merry and Pippin were untied and we started running while dodging falling dead bodies and trying not to be trampled by the horses. Soon that same freaking orc who wanted to eat our legs grabbed Merry's belt. He yelled and took the belt off. Then, we continued to run away from the battle and into Fangorn Forest. We ran deeper into the forest and stopped under a tree to catch our breath.

"Did we lose him? I think we lost him." Pippin commented. A split second after he said that, we heard the loud raspy breathing of an orc and the orc chasing us came into view. "You just had to go and jinx it didn't you, Pippin?" I stated, only slightly pissed off. Once again, note the sarcasm. "I'm gonna rip out your filthy little innards!" The orc exclaimed. I looked at my hobbit friends for a second and we all stood up and ran again. We ran for a while to get a head start and then hid behind a tree like those people who get chased through a city and hide in a conveniently placed alleyway. "Come here!" The orc shouted. _Does he honestly think that's going to work? _I thought, rolling my eyes. We ran from our hiding spot and got as far away as we could.

"Trees. Climb a tree." Merry said suddenly and shoved Pippin towards a tree. I shoved Merry after him and started to climb up behind the hobbits. We climbed up into some decently high branches and stopped to look around. "He's gone." Merry breathed. Suddenly the orc grabbed Merry's foot and dragged him out of the tree. Merry was thrown to the ground and the orc advanced on him. Merry backed up into what looked to me like a floor fighting position and kicked the orc in the face. _Nice kick! _I thought.

"Merry!" Pippin shouted down to his partner in crime. I yelped when a pair of eyes opened up on the tree and the tree groaned. Pippin looked up at the face and then back to Merry. I face-palmed when he did a double take. The tree dude, wait never mind, the politically correct term is an Ent. The Ent looked over at Pippin and Pippin fell, only to be caught and picked up by the Ent. Said Ent held both me and Pippin like we were rag dolls. The Ent then proceeded to step on the orc, thus crushing it. Merry looked up in shock and began to run away. "Run Merry!" Pippin yelled. But the Ent scooped him up in the same hand that held me, brought his hands out in front of him and squeezed us.

"Little orcs." The Ent said after staring at us while he walked deeper into the forest. "It's talking, Merry. The tree is talking." Pippin said. I noticed a bit of panic in his voice. "Tree? I am no tree! I am an Ent." The Ent said. _Treebeard! His name is Treebeard! _I realized belatedly. "A tree herder. A shepherd if the forest." Merry stated, completely awed. "Don't talk to it Merry. Don't encourage it." Pippin told him. "Treebeard, some call me." Treebeard said. "And, whose side are you on?" Pippin asked. "Side? I am on nobody's side, because nobody's on my side, little orc. Nobody cares for the woods anymore." Treebeard answered. "We're not orcs! We're hobbits!" Merry cried. "Well, they're hobbits. I am of the Man-kind." I corrected. "Hobbits? Never heard of a Hobbit before. Sounds like Orc mischief to me! They come with fire. They come with axes. Gnawing, biting, breaking, hacking, burning! Destroyers and usurpers, curse them!" Treebeard shouted as much as Ents can shout and squeezed us tighter. "No! You don't understand; we're hobbits! Halflings, Shire-folk!" Merry said. "Maybe you are, and maybe you aren't. The White Wizard will know." Treebeard replied. "The White Wizard?" Pippin asked. "Saruman." Merry hissed. _Actually no, the White Wizard is now Gandalf because seeing as Gandalf is a badass motherfucker; he came back after killing the Balrog and dying. _I thought to myself. Treebeard soon put us down somewhere in the forest and we looked up to see the White Wizard. I resisted the urge to say, 'Hi Gandalf! How was the afterlife?'

*Olympia's POV*

We ran all through the night. At dawn I stopped and looked to the east as the sun rose, coloring the clouds red and orange. Legolas stopped beside me for a moment and I looked up at him. Even he looked a bit tired from running for four days now. He glanced down at me with a small smile and butterflies erupted in my stomach and my heart stopped before starting to race. I smiled a little tiny bit and attempted to ignore said butterflies. The key word there was attempted. _Meep! Now isn't the time for this! _"A red sun rises; blood has been spilled this night." Legolas stated and we turned and ran again. We came to the top of a hill and Aragorn knelt down to check for tracks. A horse's whinny broke the silence and Aragorn motioned for us to hide behind a huge rock nearby. I crouched down and watched. A second later there came the thundering sound of hooves on the plains as the Riders of Rohan appeared and galloped past us in a blur of brown, grey-ish, black and white fur and metal armor. As soon as they had passed, Aragorn stood up and we followed him out of hiding.

"Riders of Rohan!" he called. "What news from the Mark?" Upon hearing Aragorn's question, Éomer raised his spear and the riders circled back to surround us. I backed up and we formed a circle facing towards the riders, who were now pointing spears in our faces. I went cross-eyed trying to see the one that was barely six inches from my nose. Kate smacked my arm from her place on my right. I turned around and watched as Éomer rode forward.

"What business does an elf, a man, a dwarf, and two women have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly." He demanded. I glanced at Kate and we both glared at Éomer. Kate subtly pulled her hair behind her ears, revealing their pointed tips and I followed her lead. Neither of us had had the time to pull our hair back and I'm going to assume mine looked like I had been attacked by a bird and then through a wind storm while riding bike at this point. _I'm already not a big fan of this guy. Granted that I didn't like him much in the movies, but still. _I thought.

"Give me your name, horse-master. And I shall give you mine." Gimli replied. _I have to agree with you there, Gimli._ Aragorn quickly glanced at him with a look I interpreted as the Middle Earth equivalent of 'Dude, just don't'. Éomer gave his spear to the rider next to him, dismounted his horse and walked over to Gimli. "I would cut off your head, dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground." He stated, glaring at Gimli the whole time. Legolas, who was on my other side, quickly drew his bow and pointed an arrow at Éomer. I drew my knives, not knowing for sure if he was serious and sure as hell not going to let him hurt one of my friends. _Dude, I've only known you for two minutes and you're already pissing me off. I think that's a record. _I thought, twirling my knives in my hands and glaring at Éomer.

"You would die before your stroke fell." Legolas stated. The Riders of Rohan quickly raised their spears higher and pointed them and Legolas and me. One of them poked me in the head and I shot the rider a glare out of the corner of my eye. Aragorn stepped between Éomer and certain death by arrow and held Legolas's arm down while giving me a stern look. I put my knives away.

"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Gloin, Legolas of the Woodland Realm, and Ladies Kate and Olympia of the Elves. We are friends of Rohan and of Theoden, your king." Aragorn said, gesturing to each of us in turn as he told Éomer our names. I was still glaring at him, ignoring Kate's smack to my arm to try and get me to stop.

"Theoden no longer recognizes friend from foe." Éomer responded, taking off his helmet. "Not even his own kin. Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over his lands. My company are those loyal to Rohan. And for that, we are banished. The White Wizard is cunning. He walks here and there they say, as an old man hooded and cloaked. And everywhere, his spies slip past our nets." Éomer continued with a glare in the direction of Legolas, Kate and I. I just raised my eyebrows a bit and glared back.

"We are no spies. We track a party of Uruk Hai westward across the plain. They have taken three of our friends captive." Aragorn explained, noticing the stare-off that was going on between the elves present and Éomer. "The Uruks are destroyed; we slaughtered them during the night." Éomer said.

"But there were two hobbits and a young lass. Did you see two hobbits and a lass with them?" Gimli added. "They would be small, only children to your eyes." Aragorn elaborated. He was, of course referring to Merry and Pippin seeing as Natalie is taller than Kate, who stands at about 5'8. Éomer shook his head.

"We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them." He explained, pointing to a rising cloud of smoke behind him. "Dead?" Gimli asked in disbelief. "I am sorry." Éomer told us. He then let out a high pitched whistle and called, "Hasufel, Arod, Braylla!" Three horses then walked to him. One was white and the other two were reddish brown. Kate's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree as she took Braylla's reins and started petting the horse's forehead, which had a small white diamond shape on it. I don't know the technical name. I grinned. Kate and I had always loved animals, but my sister took a liking to horses specifically and started riding when she was ten. I personally liked dogs just a little bit better and was quite possibly the worst rider on the face of the earth. "May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Farwell." Éomer told us as he put his helmet back on and mounted his horse. "Look for your friends, but do not trust to hope. It has forsaken these lands. We ride north!" Éomer stated and with that, the Riders of Rohan left.

Once the Riders of Rohan were gone, Aragorn, Legolas and Kate all mounted their horses with relative ease. Gimli was helped up onto Arod behind Legolas. "Kate, help. I can't ride horses for my life." I murmured. Kate chuckled before taking my arm and helping me up onto Braylla behind her. I fidgeted a bit and wrapped my arms around my sister's middle, holding on for dear life. "Relax, Olympia. You're not a horrible rider and you'll be getting a whole lot better in the near future. I'll bet that soon enough, you'll be able to shoot your bow while riding a horse." Kate tried to comfort me. "Kate, you're a bad liar. You and I both know that I am a god awfulrider. But I'll grant you the second part of that statement. I will be getting better because we'll be riding a lot. Not so sure about the shooting a bow part, although that would be absolutely awesome. Meep." I replied as we started riding towards the rising smoke cloud that marked the burning Uruk Hai bodies.

**Author's note: Okay, a few things you should know. First, Kate's horse Braylla is female. Um yeah, I didn't know if you could tell just by the name. Second, I used some random Middle Earth name generator on the internet to come up with the name Braylla, so yeah. Third, I am so sorry it took me so long to update this! My area was hit pretty hard when Hurricane Sandy made landfall and I lost power for about five days. Luckily there was no damage to my house or my parents' cars but there are still a bunch of downed trees and some downed power lines and all that happy crap. READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	22. Chapter 22

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT I REFERENCE! FRANCESCA AND NATALIE OWN THEMSELVES! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND ANY OCS THAT APPEAR!**

Chapter Twenty Two

Olympia's POV

We didn't ride for very long and soon came to the pile of charred Uruk Hai remains. We all stared for a moment before dismounting our horses. Contrary to what I had believed would happen; I didn't fall flat on my ass. Gimli began searching through the smoking pile with his axe while the rest of us just stood by looking around. After a minute or two, Gimli picked up Merry's belt, which had been burnt to a crisp.

"It's one of their wee belts." He said sadly, holding up the belt. I looked over at Kate, the only other one who knew that our friends were perfectly fine, and bit my lip. Kate shrugged helplessly. Legolas bowed his head. "Hiro hyn hîdh ab wanath." He murmured in elvish. What that means, I have absolutely no idea. Aragorn kicked an Uruk Hai helmet and screamed, falling to his knees. "We failed them." Gimli stated solemnly.

Suddenly Aragorn started examining the ground near the pile of dead Uruk Hai. I looked over his shoulder and saw marks in the ground where three people must have been laying down at some point. "A hobbit lay here. And the other. And Natalie." Aragorn told us as he got up and started to follow the tracks. "They crawled. Their hands were bound." He continued. Aragorn stooped down, picked up a piece of rope and held the ends together. "Their bonds were cut." He said. Legolas, Gimli, Kate and I followed Aragorn as he continued to track our friends. "They ran over here. They were followed." Aragorn stated as he followed the tracks away from the battlefield and towards Fangorn Forest. "Tracks lead away from the battle, into Fangorn Forest." Aragorn finished as we arrived at the edge of the forest.

"Fangorn? What madness drove them in there?" Gimli commented as we looked into the forest.

*Francesca POV*

As it turns out, Gollum didn't throttle us in our sleep and actually led us out of the rocks a few days later. Gollum ran ahead of us and to the edge of the rocks, leaving Sam, Frodo and I to stumble our way after him. Once we caught up, we found him perched on a rock. In the distance I could see Mordor and Mount Doom. I shuddered involuntarily.

"See? See? We've led you out! Hurry Hobbitses! Hurry! Very lucky we find you. Nice Hobbit." Gollum said that last part to Sam as we continued down a steep slope to the ground below. Sam stepped down onto solid ground. Well, supposedly solid ground. The ground squished and sank beneath his feet.

Sam let out a shout. "It's a bog! He's led us into a swamp!" Sam exclaimed. "A swamp yes, yes. Come master! We will take you on safe paths through the mist." Gollum responded and went on a little bit ahead of us. "I think he's gone completely bonkers." I whispered to Sam next to me. "I can't argue with you there, Miss Francesca." Sam said. I shrugged and we continued.

"Come Hobbitses! Come! We go quickly. I found it, I did. The way through the marshes. Orcs don't use it, orcs don't know it. They go round for miles and miles. Come quickly. Soft and quick as shadows we must be." Gollum told us as we squelched our way through the swamp.

Soon we stopped to rest. I looked around to see the marshes spanned on and on for miles. I munched on a piece of lembas and glanced at Sam, Frodo and Gollum. Frodo was watching Gollum doing whatever Gollums do as Sam looked around at the scenery, or in this case, lack of scenery. There was complete silence. There were no birds or animals moving around and it felt eerie if you ask me. I thought about my friends. What happened to Natalie, Olympia and Kate? If I know Olympia, she probably went with Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas. Kate likely went with her sister. I'm not sure where Natalie would have gone. She might have gone with Kate and Olympia. But she also may have tried to save Boromir and been kidnapped by Uruk Hai. There was no way for me to know and I hated it.

"I hate this place. It's too quiet. There hasn't been sight nor sound of a bird for two days." Sam's voice snapped me back to reality. "No, no birdses to eat, no crunchable birdses. We are famished! Yes! Famished we are, precious!" Gollum wailed, then plucked a worm out of the ground. "Oh that's gross." I murmured as I watched Gollum slurp up the worm like it was a piece of spaghetti. Sam watched with a slightly grossed out look on his face.

Frodo broke off a piece of lembas bread and tossed it to Gollum. "Here." He said. "What does it eats? Is it tasty?" Gollum asked as he picked up the lembas and laughed a weird, deranged laugh. He stuffed the lembas in his mouth and promptly began coughing, sputtering and screaming. Anyone other than me see that one coming? "It tries to choke us! We can't eats hobbit food! We must starve!" Gollum screamed. "Technically, this is elvish food." I corrected, holding up my lembas. Gollum totally ignored my comment.

"Well starve then. And good riddance." Sam said to Gollum, looking highly annoyed. "Oh cruel hobbit! It does care if we be hungry, does not care if we should die!" Gollum yelled at Sam. I opened my mouth to say something, but Gollum interrupted me. "Not like master, master cares. Master knows, yes. Precious. Once it takes hold of us, it never lets go." Gollum said, reaching out for Frodo, seeing as he had reached up for the Ring. "Don't touch me!" Frodo snapped. Gollum gasped and backed up, curling up and putting his head on his arms. After a while we got up and continued to trek through the marshes.

Soon, we saw these little candle-like flames burning near the water's edge in some places. In the water, I saw dead bodies of people. "I see dead people." I whispered. Sam and Frodo both looked at me and I pointed to the water where the dead people were. "There are dead things, dead faces in the water!" Sam cried.

"All dead. All rotten. Elves and Men and Orcses. A great battle long ago. Dead Marshes. Yes, yes, that is their name. This way, don't follow the lights." Gollum told us. Sam's foot slipped and he stumbled, half in the water. "Careful now! Or hobbits go down to join the dead ones, and light little candles of their own." Gollum warned. "No thanks, I like my candles when they're not representing my death. I'm going to watch out more now." I commented. "Girl hobbit is careful, yes." Gollum muttered to himself. _Okay, I'm officially freaked out. _I thought.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Frodo stop to look at one of the dead faces. Slowly, he leaned forward and tumbled into the water with a splash. "Frodo!" Sam yelled as we all rushed towards where Frodo had fallen. Gollum reached in and hauled Frodo back up, flopping around like a fish out of water.

Frodo looked up at Gollum, confused. "Gollum?" he asked. "Don't follow the lights." Gollum told him and walked away. "Mr. Frodo, are you alright?!" Sam asked worriedly and helped Frodo back up to his feet.

In the middle of the night, I was woken up by a piercing screech. "Black Riders!" Sam shouted. Gollum yelled at us to hide and then ran under a small tree nearby. A strangled gasp came from Frodo as he collapsed on the ground clutching his chest. Sam went to him and tried to help him to our hiding spot. "Come on, Frodo. Come on!" he urged. Soon we saw a wraith flying his dragon like creature low over the marshes. I forget the technical name for them so I'll just call them dragon like creatures. "I thought they were dead!" Sam exclaimed upon seeing the wraith.

"Dead? No, you cannot kill them. No." Gollum informed us. Frodo reached into his shirt for the Ring and the wraiths shrieked louder, flying directly overhead. I covered my ears and mentally cursed them. "Wraiths! Wraiths on wings! They are calling for it. They are calling for the precious." Gollum stated, looking at Frodo.

Sam took Frodo's hand away from the Ring and took it. "Mr. Frodo! It's alright. I'm here." Sam told Frodo, who looked like he was about to faint. His eyes nearly rolled back into his head. With one final shriek from the wraith and a fearsome roar from the dragon like creature, the wraith flew off. Frodo slowly returned to his normal self and he sat up. "Hurry hobbits. The Black Gate is very close." Gollum told us as we slowly came out from our hiding place. "No rest for the weary!" I mumbled to myself as we started off through the Dead Marshes again.

*Olympia's POV*

Kate, Gimli, Aragorn, Legolas and I had been walking through Fangorn Forest for ten minutes or so, trying to track Merry, Pippin and Natalie. In my opinion, the forest had a little bit of a creepy vibe to it. Gimli soon found a plant that had been splattered with a black gooey substance. He ran his finger on one of the plant's leaves and tasted the stuff. "Orc blood." Gimli said as he spat out the gooey crap.

"Do I even want to know how you know what orc blood tastes like?" I asked as we jumped over a small stream and continued running through the forest, following Aragorn. Gimli chuckled a bit, Legolas smirked and Kate smiled and rolled her eyes. Aragorn took no notice seeing as he was busy tracking.

Aragorn soon crouched down near some weird looking prints in the dirt and examined them. "These are strange tracks." He observed. Gimli walked around slowly and warily nearby. "The air is so close in here." He commented. Somehow, his voice seemed to echo a bit.

"This forest is old, very old. Full of memory…..and anger." Legolas mused, looking around at the trees. I looked around too, tilting my head back and staring up into the higher branches of the trees. Suddenly there were deep groaning sounds that were definitely not made by anything human. Kate and I jumped slightly and I raised an eyebrow. Gimli gasped in the manliest possible way and raised his axe. Or would it be dwarf-liest in his case? "The trees are speaking to each other!" Legolas exclaimed. "Talking trees…Cool!" I murmured. Legolas apparently heard me and gave me a smile, causing me to blush and turn away. _Damn it face! Stop blushing! _I mentally cursed, though I knew it wouldn't help worth a crap.

"Gimli! Lower your axe." Aragorn told Gimli once he saw that the dwarf had raised his axe. Gimli lowered his axe with a wary look on his face and held his other hand up in a gesture of peace.

"They have feelings, my friend. The elves began it; waking up the trees, teaching them to speak." Legolas said, turning to look at Gimli. _Does that mean he can understand what they're saying? How cool would that be?!_ I thought. "Talking trees. What do trees have to talk about? Except the consistency of squirrel droppings." Gimli commented.

Less than a minute after this conversation, I heard faint footsteps and cocked my head to the side as I listened. Kate did the same. Legolas turned in the direction of the noise and walked a little ways ahead up to the top of a small hill. "Aragorn, nad no ennas." He said. (Something's out there.) Aragorn followed close behind and came up next to Legolas. "Man cenich?" Aragorn asked. (What do you see?) "The White Wizard approaches." Legolas answered. Aragorn looked around and took a deep breath. "Do not let him speak. He will put a spell on us." Aragorn replied and put his hand on the hilt of his sword. Gimli tightened his grip on his axe and Legolas knocked an arrow. Kate and I just hung back with huge shit eating grins on our faces. Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli all gave us strange looks. "We must be quick." Aragorn whispered and we whirled around to face the White Wizard.

We were met with a bright white light. Gimli let out a battle cry and threw his axe. It was quickly deflected and Legolas fired his arrow, which was also deflected. Aragorn's sword turned red hot and he dropped it to the ground, where it landed with a clatter. We all backed up a bit and Aragorn shielded his eyes against the white light.

"You are tracking the footsteps of two young hobbits and a young woman." The White Wizard stated, sounding quite a bit like Saruman. "Where are they?" Aragorn asked, still shielding his eyes with his hand. "They passed this way, the day before yesterday. They met someone they did not expect. Does that comfort you?" The White Wizard responded. "Not exactly." I heard Kate mumble. I smirked slightly. "Who are you? Show yourself!" Aragorn demanded. The glowing white light faded revealing Gandalf, dressed all in white and holding a white staff. "It cannot be." Aragorn whispered. "But it is." I thought aloud. Kate smacked my arm and I attempted not to laugh. Gimli and Legolas both bowed to Gandalf the White. Kate and I just stood there, still grinning ear to ear.

"Forgive me. I mistook you for Saruman." Legolas said. "I am Saruman, or rather, Saruman as he should have been." Gandalf replied. "You fell." Aragorn continued, stepping closer to Gandalf.

"Through fire and water. From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak, I fought with the Balrog of Morgoth. Until at last I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside. Darkness took me and I strayed out of thought and time. Stars wheeled overhead, and every day was as long as a life age of the Earth. But it was not the end. I felt life in me again. I've been sent back, until my task is done." Gandalf explained. _Kind of like Glorfindel. _I thought, though why that came to my mind, I do not know.

"Gandalf." Aragorn said as he walked up to the wizard. "Gandalf? Yes, that was what they used to call me. Gandalf the Grey. That was my name." Gandalf smiled. "Gandalf." Gimli grinned. "I am Gandalf the White, and I come back to you now. At the turn of the tide." Gandalf told us. He then put on a grey cloak and began to lead us out of Fangorn. "One stage of your journey is over, another begins. We must travel to Edoras with all speed." He said as we went.

"Edoras? That is no short distance!" Gimli exclaimed. "We hear of trouble in Rohan. It goes ill with the king." Aragorn added. "Yes, and it will not be easily cured." Gandalf replied and stopped. "Then we have run all this way for nothing. Are we to leave those poor hobbits and Natalie here, in this horrid, dark, dank, tree-infested…?" Gimli was cut off when the deep groaning sounds of the trees were heard. "I mean charming, quite charming forest." He corrected. Kate rolled her eyes and Legolas and I both smirked slightly.

"It was more than mere chance that brought Merry, Pippin and Natalie to Fangorn. A great power has been sleeping here for many long years. The coming of Merry, Pippin and Natalie will be like the falling of small stones that starts an avalanche in the mountains." Gandalf turned back to face Gimli as he said this. "In one thing you have not changed, dear friend." Aragorn stated. Gandalf looked confused. "You still speak in riddles." Aragorn elaborated and both of them laughed. "A thing is about to happen that has not happened since the Elder Days. The Ents are going to wake up, and find that they are strong." Gandalf looked back to Gimli.

"Strong? Oh, that's good." Gimli commented. "So stop your fretting, Master Dwarf. Merry, Pippin and Natalie are quite safe. In fact, they are far safer than you are about to be." Gandalf continued. "This new Gandalf's even more grumpy than the old one." Gimli muttered.

Soon we were out of the forest and standing on the edges of the plains again. Aragorn, Legolas and Kate had gotten our horses from where we left them. Gandalf stopped and let out a long, high-pitched whistle that echoed across the plains. There was silence for a split second before we heard a horse whinny in reply. Shadowfax, a large, beautiful, pure white horse came galloping up a hill and towards us.

"That is one of the Mearas, unless my eyes are cheated by some spell." Legolas whispered, more to himself than to anyone else, as Shadowfax reached Gandalf. "Shadowfax. He is the lord of all horses, and has been my friend through many dangers." Gandalf said, bowing his head then stroking the horse's neck. We then mounted our horses and set out for Edoras at a fast pace. This time around, I was able to mount Braylla behind my sister without help. I was very proud of this fact.

**Author's note: Well, there you have it my friends. Chapter twenty two. Can you guys believe we're already twenty two chapters into this story? I can't! Thank you guys so much for favoriting and reviewing and following this! It means a lot. In other news, things are slowly, and I mean **_**slowly**_** getting back to a relatively normal level after hurricane Sandy. READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	23. Chapter 23

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT I REFERENCE! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS! **

Chapter Twenty Three

Natalie's POV

Have you ever ridden an Ent? I don't recommend it for those who aren't the best tree climbers or who are scared of heights. Merry, Pippin and I were all sitting up in Treebeard's branches as the Ent recited some sort of poem type thing as he walked through the forest towards his home.

"O Rowen mine. I saw you shine, upon a summer's day. Upon your head, how golden red, the crown you bore aloft. Such beautiful verse." Treebeard recited. Merry let out a huge yawn. "Is it much further?" he asked. "Don't be hasty. You might call it far perhaps. My home lies deep in the forest, near the roots of the mountain. I told Gandalf I would keep you safe and safe is where I'll keep you. I believe you will enjoy this next one too. It's one of my own compositions. Right." Treebeard said. I looked down to one of Treebeard's lower branches where Pippin was and saw the hobbit starting to nod off.

Treebeard cleared his throat before reciting another verse. I didn't hear what that next verse was for two reasons. One being that I was too tired to listen any more at that point and I was seriously considering going to sleep; and the second reason being that I was wondering about Kate, Olympia and Francesca and where they could have gotten themselves to. _I didn't see Francesca at all during the battle so I think she might have gone with Sam and Frodo to Mordor. I'd bet that Olympia and Kate went with Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli. That means that I'll be seeing them sometime in the not so distant future. _I thought to myself as Treebeard continued to walk through the forest.

Somehow I managed to stay awake until Treebeard stopped somewhere deep in the forest, I'm assuming it was his home. Merry and Pippin had conked out a while ago. Treebeard then picked up all three of us and set us gently on the grass. "Sleep, little ones. Heed no nightly noise. Sleep till morning light. I have business in the forest. There are many to call, many that must come. The Shadow lies on Fangorn. The withering of all woods is drawing near." Treebeard said as he walked away into the forest for whatever business he needed to take care of. I myself fell asleep about thirty seconds after the Ent left.

*Olympia's POV*

We stopped to rest that night for the first time in about four days. One would have thought I would have passed out the minute I sat down, but I didn't. We all stayed up, munched on some lembas, started a fire to keep warm, and then Gimli fell asleep. Kate soon followed and curled up on her blankets. Legolas, Aragorn, Gandalf and I stayed up for a while. Gandalf and Aragorn talked for a while about how Sauron feared Aragorn, how he would attack the world of Men by using Saruman to destroy Rohan, how we basically had the element of surprise on our side because Sauron did not know that Frodo was on his way to Mordor at that very moment. Aragorn then told Gandalf that Frodo wasn't alone and that Sam and Francesca had gone with him. At this, Gandalf cracked a smile.

Soon after that conversation, both Gandalf and Aragorn fell asleep. _Wow, it must be pretty late if both Gandalf and Aragorn have fallen asleep. _I thought. I looked around our camp. The fire was dying down, and nearly everyone was asleep. Everyone except for me and Legolas. I looked over to where Legolas sat on the opposite side of the fire and smiled at him; he returned the smile and came to sit next to me. I started to randomly hum to myself.

"Olympia, it would do you well to get some rest." He told me. "It wouldn't exactly kill you to get some sleep too, you know?" I laughed along with Legolas when he chuckled at that. I leaned back and crossed my legs at my knees, letting my left foot swing slightly, and looked up at the stars. Legolas remained sitting and looked at me. "I see you enjoy looking at the stars." He pointed out. "Uh-huh. I always have, except there aren't this many stars back home. We were in a small town with lots of streetlights and cars and stuff, so all the pollution and extra lights blocked out a lot of the stars. I remember going upstate into the woods with friends of mine once. There were more stars up there, but there are much more here. Back home, I was able to find a whole ton of constellations, patterns and shapes in the stars. Legolas, do you remember when we were in my world and played capture the flag?" I asked after rambling for a little while.

"Yes, I remember. Our team hid the flag in a tree in your yard. Aragorn was right; you were a good captain for our team." Legolas replied. "Thanks. I would go out and climb that tree all the time. Sometimes in the summer when it was warm, I would take my iPod, climb that tree and listen to music while looking at the stars. I would sing along to my music and Kate would call out the window to me and say that she could hear me singing from in the house." I laughed at the memories of those nights. I'm going to say Legolas could picture that fairly easily because he chuckled.

"While we are speaking of singing; I have heard you sing to yourself on several occasions." Legolas stated. "Really?" I asked, embarrassed. "Yes. You have a beautiful voice." He complimented me. "T-thank you." I stuttered, blushing slightly. "If you would not mind, could you sing a song for me, please?" Legolas asked. "Hmm. I wouldn't mind at all actually, I feel like singing. Just let me think for a minute." I answered. Legolas beamed at me. _Hmm. What should I sing? Well, Colbie Caillat has been stuck in my head for a while, so I might as well….. _I thought as I decided on a song.I smiled and started drumming the beginning of 'Fallin' for you' on my leg. I took a deep breath and started to sing softly as to not wake anyone.

"I don't know, but I think I may be fallin' for you  
Droppin' so quickly, maybe I should keep this to myself  
Wait until I know you better

I am tryin' not to tell you, but I want to  
I'm scared of what you'll say  
So I'm hidin' what I'm feelin'  
But I'm tired of holdin' this inside my head

I've been spendin' all my time just thinkin' 'bout you  
I don't know what to do, I think I'm fallin' for you  
I've been waitin' all my life, and now I found you  
I don't know what to do, I think I'm fallin' for you  
I'm fallin' for you

As I'm standin' here, and you hold my hand  
Pull me towards you, and we start to dance  
All around us, I see nobody  
Here in silence, it's just you and me

I am tryin' not to tell you, but I want to  
I'm scared of what you'll say  
So I'm hidin' what I'm feelin'  
But I'm tired of holdin' this inside my head

I've been spendin' all my time just thinkin' 'bout you  
I don't know what to do, I think I'm fallin' for you  
I've been waitin' all my life, and now I found you  
I don't know what to do, I think I'm fallin' for you  
I'm fallin' for you

Oh, I just can't take it, my heart is racin'  
Emotions keep spinnin' out

I've been spendin' all my time just thinkin' 'bout you  
I don't know what to do, I think I'm fallin' for you  
I've been waitin' all my life, and now I found you  
I don't know what to do, I think I'm fallin' for you  
I'm fallin' for you, I think I'm fallin' for you

I can't stop thinkin' 'bout it, I want you all around me  
And now I just can't hide it, I think I'm fallin' for you  
I can't stop thinkin' 'bout it, I want you all around me  
And now I just can't hide it, I think I'm fallin' for you  
I'm fallin' for you, oh, oh, oh, no, no, oh, oh, oh, oh  
Oh, I'm fallin' for you"

I smiled as I finished and looked up at Legolas; he was also smiling. "Thank you. I rather liked that song." Legolas looked down at me. "Me too; it's one of my favorites actually. I've got a lot of favorite songs." I replied as I sat back up and put my arms on my knees, then rested my head on my arms. We lapsed into silence after a minute. Legolas looked like he was deep in thought, so I let him be and became lost in my own thoughts. _Uhm, that was more than a little cheesy. Should I say something? I kinda want to tell him how I feel about him. But what would he think? Would he feel the same? What if he doesn't? Oh good grief! Why am I even debating this?! What's the worst that could happen? No, I'm not even going to grace that with an answer. I'm not going to make myself crazy over this. Okay, who am I trying to kid? I've already made myself crazy over this!_ I wondered nervously. Legolas fidgeted and then turned to face me.

"Olympia, I wish to tell you something." He stated simply. "Uh, sure. Legolas, you can tell me anything." I responded. Legolas moved closer to me and I sat up and turned to him. He took my hands in his own and drew a deep breath, almost as if he was nervous about something. My heart pounded in my chest and about a million thoughts raced through my mind. '_What on earth is going on?' _seemed to be the only one I could actually process though.

Legolas tightened his grip on my hands ever so slightly and I looked up into his deep blue eyes. "Olympia, I love you." He whispered. My eyes popped out of my head, my heart stopped, time stood still, my mind went totally and completely blank, it was so silent you could have heard a pin drop from about ten yards off. I opened my mouth to say something but no words came and I just sat there, probably looking really stupid with my mouth hanging open the way it was. I was far too happy for words. It took me a moment to compose myself and not squeal like a total ditz, during which Legolas stared into my eyes with a worried, slightly sad expression.

"I-I love you too, Legolas." I murmured when I finally found my voice. A look of complete shock dominated Legolas's face for a split second before he beamed again and pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. I giggled and hugged him back. "I do not think you will ever know how unbelievably happy and relieved I am right now." Legolas whispered into my hair. I pulled back just a little bit to look him in the eyes. "I think I do. I've felt like this for a while, I just didn't know how to tell you or what you would say or if you would love me back. I've all but driven myself crazy. Never did I think this would happen." I told him. Legolas chuckled. "We cannot have you going crazy now, meleth nîn." Legolas replied. "Yeah, that would be bad. What does 'meleth nîn' mean?" I asked. Legolas smiled. "It means 'my love.'" he answered.

I nodded and my hair fell into my face as I did. I attempted to glare at it. Legolas moved the hair away from my face and let his hand linger on my cheek. I looked back up to Legolas, who looked like he was having a mental battle with himself. I raised an eyebrow, confused. Legolas looked back at me, smiled slightly, then leaned down and gently pressed his lips against mine. _Sweet mother of cheese doodles! Legolas is KISSING me! What the meep?! _That was the only thought in my mind as my eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. After a second my eyes fluttered shut and I kissed him back. We broke of the kiss after who knows how long and I just stared at him. He stared right back at me and after a second we started laughing. Don't ask me why, I still don't know.

"I think we should get some rest." I said after I got my breath back. "Yes, we should." Legolas agreed. I wrapped myself up in my cloak, not because I was cold but because it was comfortable and leaned back on the grass. Legolas laid down next to me after a minute and I curled up on my side facing him. "Good night, Legolas. I love you." I whispered and closed my eyes. "Good night, meleth nîn." I heard Legolas murmur. I grinned like an idiot and fell asleep.

*Francesca's POV*

We were climbing up a steep and uneven rock face. "The Black Gate of Mordor." Gollum announced as we reached the top. I looked out over the rocks and saw the huge, black, scary-as-shit looking gates. "Oh, save us. My old Gaffer would have a thing or two to say if he could see us now." Sam commented as we watched the gate. "Holy crap." I mumbled. "Master says to show him the way into Mordor. So good Smeagol does, master says so." Gollum said to Frodo.

"I did." Frodo answered, still staring up at the Black Gates of Mordor. "I think I see orcs up over there, patrolling the gates." I added as I saw them. "That's it then, we can't get past that." Sam turned to Frodo, who was crouching between Sam and I. Suddenly we heard someone shouting in a foreign language as an army of bad guys approached the Gates. A loud, echoing horn sounded and the Black Gates started to open. "Oh, that's not good." I commented. "Look, the gate! It's opening! I can see a way down." Sam told us as he crawled out onto the rock ledge he'd been leaning on to get a better view. The rock suddenly broke loose and Sam fell.

"Oh my god!" I yelped. "Sam, no!" Frodo yelled at the same time as he went down the rock face to help Sam. "Master!" Gollum called. Unsure of what to do, I crouched down behind my rock and pulled the hood of my elvish cloak up. I watched as two soldiers from the army of bad guys stepped out of their formation to investigate what just happened. Frodo had finally reached Sam and was trying to help him out of the rubble surrounding him when the two soldiers came close to them. Frodo pulled his elvish cloak over the both of them and they looked like a boulder. I held my breath as the two soldiers studied the 'boulder' for a moment before walking away back towards the army. After they rejoined the others, Sam and Frodo crouched behind a rock near them and watched the Gates and I let out a sigh of relief.

At this point, Gollum crept down towards them and I followed his lead. "I do not ask you to come with me Sam." Frodo said. "I know, Mr. Frodo. I doubt even these elvish cloaks will hide us in there." Sam replied. "Now!" Frodo yelled. The two of them started for the Gates but Gollum grabbed the back of Frodo's cloak, I grabbed the back of Sam's and we yanked them back. We all collapsed on the rocky ground. "No! No! No Master! They catch you! They catch you! Don't take it to him. He wants the precious. Always he is looking for it, and the precious is wanting to go back to him. But we mustn't let him have it." Gollum wailed.

"Well then what are we going to do?" I asked. I was rewarded with a shrug from Sam and Gollum totally ignoring me as Frodo ignored him and tried to run towards the gates again. "No!" Gollum yelled and held Frodo back by his shoulder. "There's another way, more secret. A dark way." Gollum told him. _And you haven't mentioned this before because..? _I wondered. "Why haven't you spoken of this before?" Sam demanded. _Didn't I just think that? Meh, I guess great minds do think alike. _"Because Master did not ask." Gollum said simply. "He's up to something!" Sam exclaimed.

"Are you saying there's another way into Mordor?" Frodo asked. "Yes. There's a path, and some stairs. And then, a tunnel." Gollum answered, stroking Frodo's cloak. _Why is he stroking Frodo's cloak? That's creepy. _I thought randomly as I watched both Gollum start whimpering and the Gates close. "He's led us this far, Sam." Frodo turned to look at Sam. "Mr. Frodo. No." Sam protested. "I agree with Sam on this one Frodo. I don't exactly trust Gollum." I added. "He's been true to his word." Frodo argued. "No." Sam whispered. "Lead the way Smeagol." Frodo told Gollum. Sam stared into space for a moment, looking hurt. I put a hand on his shoulder and he looked up at me. "It's okay Sam. Come on, we should get going." I told him, trying to make him feel better. Sam nodded slowly, I helped him up and we scrambled back up the rock face.

**Author's note: Finally! The moment you've all been waiting for! Legolas and Olympia are officially a thing!*head-desks* I think that was the fluffiest, most adorable thing I have ever written between those two. My fluff obsession with them is back. Be prepared. **** READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	24. Chapter 24

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT I REFERENCE! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS!**

Chapter Twenty Four

Natalie's POV

When I woke up the next morning, Merry was still sleeping and Pippin was sitting next to a small waterfall near a barrel. He was drinking water from a small drinking bowl, but I was more concerned with glaring at the barrel. _The Barrels! They're in Middle Earth too! I don't trust you barrel. _I thought. Pippin gave me a look that told me I was being weird. I didn't really care, I'm always weird.

"Good morning, Natalie!" he said cheerfully. "Morning Pippin. Did you sleep well?" I asked. "I did actually. I had a dream where Merry and I had a big barrel of pipe weed, and we smoked all of it! And then Merry was sick. How did you sleep?" Pippin replied. "I slept pretty well. I didn't have crazy dreams about smoking or anything. I had a crazy dream that my cats Layla and Sherman could talk, but they could only speak Spanish. And then Olympia showed up out of nowhere with an army of squirrels that were riding tacos. Then Sherman started eating the tacos and had an epic battle with the squirrel whose taco he was eating." I answered. "That's interesting. What are tacos?" Pippin commented. "I was going to say weird, crazy or just flat out psychotic but that works too I guess. Tacos are basically corn shells filled with meat and lettuce and cheese and stuff. It's a type of food from my world." I shrugged and sat by the waterfall with my hobbit buddy. I picked up the other drinking bowl thing that was there and drank some of the water.

Merry woke up soon after that and started walking around. "Hello? Treebeard? Where has he gone?" he asked. "I had the loveliest dream last night. There was this large barrel, full of pipe weed. And we smoked all of it. And then…you were sick. I'd give anything for a whiff of Old Toby." Pippin commented randomly. Merry smiled a bit as Pippin said this. Then there was the strange groaning sound that trees apparently make.

"Did you hear that? There it is again. Something's not right here, not right at all." Merry said as the noise sounded again. Pippin stood up and made a weird groaning sound, sort of like the trees. I stood up also and found myself making a smaller noise similar to that. _What the hell?! _I thought. "You just said something, Treeish." Merry looked over at Pippin with a surprised expression.

"No I didn't. I was just stretching." Pippin replied, and made the noise again. Merry walked over to Pippin and began studying him closely. "You're taller." Merry observed. Pippin looked back over to me for a second. I walked around so that I could see them better. I had a feeling this would be funny. "Who?" He asked. "You!"Merry replied. "Than what?" Pippin raised his eyebrows. "Than me!" Merry continued. "I've always been taller than you." Pippin laughed. "Pippin, everyone knows, I'm the tall one. You're the short one." Merry responded. "Please, Merry. You're what? Three-foot-six? At most? Whereas me, I'm pushing 3'7." Pippin said and burped out a weird tree sound again. "3'8!" he exclaimed and quickly took another drink of the water. _So this stuff makes you taller huh? I don't need to be any taller. Maybe I should bring some to Olympia! Naaah, she'd be mad. _I thought and found myself laughing for the first time since Boromir died.

"Three-foot-eight. You did something." Merry stared at Pippin. Pippin grinned and tried to nonchalantly put down his bowl. Merry noticed, took the barrel from him and tried to drink from it. "Merry, don't! Don't drink it!" Pippin pleaded. Merry grinned and ran away with the barrel, trying to block Pippin as he took another drink. I started laughing openly. This was just too funny! "Merry, no! Treebeard said you shouldn't have any!" Pippin said.

"No he didn't! Treebeard hasn't been back here!" I retorted between laughs. "I want some!" Merry added. "It could well be dangerous! Give me it back, Merry!" Pippin yelled as he chased Merry around the small clearing. Merry climbed over some roots of a nearby tree, causing the barrel to fall. Merry and Pippin soon became trapped as the tree closed around them. I stopped laughing and ran over to the tree, trying to avoid being trapped but also trying to help my hobbit buddies. I wasn't doing a good job.

"What's happening?" Pippin asked, panicked. "Aaargh! It's got my leg!" Merry yelled. The hobbits struggled, trying to free themselves. It didn't work and the tree drew them in further. I hopped off the tree to avoid being trapped. "Help!" we all shouted. I was about to run out to try and find Treebeard when the Ent in question appeared out of nowhere.

"Away with you, you should not be waking. Eat earth, dig deep, drink water. Away with you, go to sleep." Treebeard scolded the tree. The tree released the hobbits and they scrambled away from it. "Come, the forest is waking up." Treebeard told us. The Ent then picked us up and began walking into the forest. We climbed up into his branches and sat there as Treebeard walked. "It isn't safe; the trees have grown wild and dangerous. Anger festers in their hearts. Black are their thoughts; strong is their hate. They will harm you if they can. There are too few of us now, too few of us Ents left to manage them." Treebeard explained.

"Why are there so few of you when you have lived so long? Are there Ent children?" Pippin asked. Treebeard looked down sadly. "There have been no Entings for a terrible long count of years." Treebeard answered. "Why is that?" Merry asked. "We lost the Entwives." Treebeard stated. "Oh, I'm sorry. How did they die?" Pippin told him. "Die? No. We lost them, and now we cannot find them. I don't suppose you've seen Entwives in the Shire?" Treebeard asked. "Can't say that I have. You, Pip?" Merry answered. Pippin shook his head. "What do they look like?" Pippin asked. "I don't remember now." Treebeard answered. "I'm sorry Treebeard. I haven't seen the Entwives either." I added.

*Olympia's POV*

"Olympia! Legolas! Wake up!" I heard my sister yelling and someone laughing in the background when I woke up the next morning. I made a face and opened my eyes. I blushed when I looked up to see Legolas just beginning to wake up. Sometime during the night I had curled up next to him and was using his chest as a pillow while he had wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I heard the distinct laughs of Kate, Gimli and Aragorn and moved back as Legolas sat up. "Oh how I wish I had a camera! That was adorable!" Kate squealed. I rolled my eyes. Gimli and Aragorn exchanged knowing looks and were beaming at the two of us.

"Alright, alright. I'm up." I grumbled as Legolas and I stood up. Kate opened her mouth to say something. She had a devious look in her eyes. "Whatever it is you're thinking of asking, I'm not going to tell you." I pointed at her and glared. This sent all three of them into another fit of laughter. Gandalf was getting the horses ready to go, but I'd be willing to bet he heard all of what we'd said. I decided that my hair would annoy me if I didn't do something with it, so I pulled it into a tight French braid down my back. Kate and I had been able to brush our hair last night when we stopped; she had braided hers back before going to sleep. As soon as everyone was bright eyed and bushy tailed, we mounted our horses and set off for Edoras.

"Alright, now spill your guts. What exactly happened last night?" Kate asked as we rode. I put my forehead into Kate's back and she laughed. "I, uh, I talked to Legolas last night." I answered. "That doesn't explain why you two were all cuddly this morning. That was adorable by the way." Kate pointed out. I didn't answer her for a little while and found myself looking over at Legolas on Arod not far from Braylla. He smiled and mouthed 'I love you' to me. I grinned and mouthed 'I love you too' in response. "Awww." Kate gushed in an oh-so-very-fake, overly girly voice. "I'm going to assume you caught that." I responded. "Yep, and I'm glad you two _finally_ admitted that you love each other. Did you kiss him?" Kate asked in a much lower voice than she'd previously been using. I blushed furiously. "Well, technically speaking, he kissed me. But seeing as I know you don't really care about technical stuff when you ask these kinds of questions, the answer's yes." I stated. Even though I couldn't see her, I knew Kate was smirking and rolling her eyes at me.

We had been riding for about an hour when Gandalf stopped and we all looked at the city of Edoras, perched on a hill a few miles from where we stood. "Edoras, and the Golden Hall of Meduseld. There dwells Theoden, King of Rohan, whose mind is overthrown. Saruman's hold over King Theoden is now very strong. Be careful what you say. Do not look for welcome here." Gandalf told us. And with that, the wizard led us into Edoras. As we approached the gates of the city, I watched as a flag with a white horse on it fluttered to the ground near Aragorn. When we entered the city and followed Gandalf, I felt as if everyone in Edoras stopped whatever they were doing and stared at us. I rolled my eyes in annoyance, shifted uncomfortably and briefly toyed with the idea of saying something very, very sarcastic. I quickly decided against it as Kate turned to glare at me out of the corner of her eye. 'Don't say anything stupid' she mouthed. Sometimes, I think my sister can read my mind. I looked up to the Golden Hall of Meduseld and saw Eowyn standing there, watching us.

"You'll find more cheer in a graveyard." Gimli commented. "Amen to that." I muttered. We soon got off our horses and walked up to the Golden Hall. As we reached the top of the stairs, a man with red-brownish hair and a whole bunch of guards came out to meet us. _Oh this should be good. _I thought as Gandalf smiled at them.

"I cannot allow you before Theoden King so armed, Gandalf Greyhame. By order of Grima Wormtongue." The man whose name I couldn't remember said to Gandalf. He looked as if it pained him to take orders from Wormtongue. It would have pained me. Gandalf nodded to us and we all began taking off our weapons. I took out my knives, and flipped them so their handles were out and held them out to the guard. He gave me and absolutely dumbfounded expression and gawked at me for a second. I raised an eyebrow and he took the knives. I handed him my bow and quiver as well. He still looked completely shocked. I looked over at Kate next to me as she handed her weapons over and the guard who took them had a similar expression. My sister looked at me and we exchanged 'I'm not amused' looks. _I know these people don't let women fight but do they really have to do this when it happens? They act like it's the strangest thing they've ever seen! And I know that there are stranger things in this world than women who fight. Okay maybe not to these people…but still!_ I thought, thoroughly annoyed.

"Your staff." The man with red-brownish hair stated once all our weapons had been confiscated. "Hmm, you would not part an old man from his walking stick." Gandalf replied. Kate and Gimli looked very amused and I tried to pass off my laughter as a nasty coughing fit. Kate patted my back and gave me a look that said plainly, 'Shut up.' The guards let us pass and Gandalf looked back and winked in our direction. Aragorn smirked as Gandalf leaned on Legolas's arm in addition to his staff to make it seem like he really did need the help and we walked into the hall after the guard. I looked around and saw King Theoden sitting there on his throne. To put it bluntly, he looked older than dirt and the only way I knew he was breathing was because I know what happens now. Next to him sat the snake himself, Grima Wormtongue. In my opinion, he was beyond ugly and looked like he'd never showered in his life. All of us, except for Gandalf, looked back as the door creaked shut behind us.

"The courtesy of your hall is somewhat lessened of late, Theoden King." Gandalf announced as we walked nearer to Theoden. I looked around and noticed a group of menacing looking guards glaring at us. I saw Grima lean over and whisper something into the King's ear. I gave him my most intimidating death glare. I took notice of Gimli, Kate, Aragorn and Legolas doing the same. _If looks could kill, he'd be dead at least a thousand times over by now. _

"Why should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrow?" King Theoden croaked. "A just question, my liege." Wormtongue told the king. I rolled my eyes. The snake then got up and walked towards Gandalf. "Late is the hour in which this conjurer chooses to appear. Lathspell I name him. Ill news is an ill guest." Wormtongue continued. I balled my hands into fists and took a deep breath, trying my hardest not to go and punch him in the face.

"Be silent. Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth. I have not passed through fire and death, to bandy crooked words with a witless worm." Gandalf snapped and raised his staff up to Wormtongue's face. I grinned broadly and just barely suppressed another laughing fit. _I couldn't have said it better myself. _"His staff; I told you to take the wizard's staff!" Wormtongue whined. The menacing looking soldiers from earlier all moved towards Gandalf. _Yeah, I don't think so. _I thought as the rest of us started to fight them off. A lot of the guards totally ignored Kate and I, not willing to attack a woman. This is, until I decided to be a real pain in the ass and go completely ninja on them.

I smirked and punched one of the guards in the gut, before grabbing his arm, putting him in a wristlock and using him as a shield against one who was aiming a punch at me. I turned and the other guard ended up knocking out his friend who I had in a wristlock. I dropped the first guard and roundhouse kicked the second one in the jaw, successfully knocking his lights out. Another guard came at me and I just moved to the side, put a hand on his shoulder and pulled forward with that hand as I swept his legs backwards. This resulted in the guard face-planting into the floor, me doing a forward roll over him and punching another guard in the gut, then pushing him to the side.

"Olympia, move!" I heard Kate yell. I looked over and saw her about to judo throw a guard. I moved to the side as Kate threw the guy, who landed with a thud. I turned away from him just in time to block a punch to the face. I pulled his arm forward, turned around and judo threw him onto the guy Kate had thrown. I didn't mean to throw him onto the other guy, but hey, sometimes you can't help it. I glanced to Legolas just in time to see him throw a back fist behind him and hit one of the guards square in the face; without even looking. Once all the guards were either unconscious or had given up, Gimli stepped on Wormtongue's chest, pinning him to the ground.

"I would stay still if I were you."Gimli growled at Wormtongue. "I would listen to him if I were you." I commented upon seeing this. I soon walked over to where Kate, Aragorn and Legolas were watching Gandalf break the curse that was on Theoden. "And you say I am the show-off." Legolas leaned over and whispered to me. I looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "Yes, because you are." I whispered back. "And you are not?" He argued. "I never said that." I smiled.

"Hearken to me! I release you, from the spell." Gandalf said to Theoden as he raised up his hand. Theoden laughed at Gandalf. "You have no power here, Gandalf the _Grey._" He mocked. I couldn't see Gandalf's face but I knew he looked pissed off. Gandalf threw off his grey cloak and white light suddenly filled the semi-dark room. "I will draw you Saruman, as poison is drawn from a wound." Gandalf said and thrust his staff forward, throwing Theoden back in his chair. Eowyn ran into the room and saw this happening. She rushed towards her uncle, but Aragorn grabbed her arm and held her back. "Wait." He told her.

"If I go, Theoden dies!" Saruman began to speak through Theoden's body. Creepy. "You did not kill me. You will not kill him." Gandalf responded, moving closer to Theoden while still holding his staff. "Rohan is mine!" Saruman hissed. "Be gone!" Gandalf said, pushing Theoden back in his chair with his staff again. Theoden began to slump forward and Eowyn rushed to him to stop him from falling and they kneeled on the floor. I watched in amazement as Theoden's face changed and he looked a whole lot younger than he had previously. He had less wrinkles now, and his hair was shorter and better kept and had a pale blonde color to it. In short, the King of Rohan was himself again.

The King looked up from Eowyn and at Gandalf. "Gandalf?" he asked. "Breathe the free air again, my friend." Gandalf said. Theoden, with a great effort, stood up again. "Dark have been my dreams of late." Theoden stated and looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers. "Your fingers would remember their old strength better, if they grasped your sword." Gandalf told him. One of the guards brought Theoden's sword to him. Slowly, the king drew his sword and stared at the blade. Then he turned towards Wormtongue and glared at him.

**Author's note: And yeah, I'm really ending the chapter there. Sorry, the chapter was too long for everything else that was in that particular scene. I'll try not to leave you with this awful cliffhanger for too long! READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	25. Chapter 25

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTHING ELSE I REFERENCE! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS!**

Chapter Twenty Five

Olympia's POV

I stood outside the Golden Hall and watched with Kate, Legolas, Gimli and Eowyn as two guards threw Wormtongue out of the Golden Hall and he tumbled down the stairs. I flinched slightly. As much as I really, really don't like this guy, that fall had to hurt. King Theoden walked down the stairs after him with his sword in his hand, stumbling every so often because he hadn't walked in who knows how long.

"I've only ever served you my lord." Wormtongue made a pathetic attempt at defending himself and crawled backwards down the stairs, away from the king. Theoden continued to walk forwards towards the snake. "Your leechcraft would have had me crawling on all fours like a beast!" he exclaimed. "Send me not from your sight!" Wormtongue begged. King Theoden then raised his sword as if to kill Wormtongue. Aragorn rushed up to the King and held him back. _Damn it! _

"No my lord! No my lord. Let him go. Enough blood has been spilt on his account." Aragorn told Theoden. Aragorn then held his hand out to Wormtongue to help him get up. Wormtongue spit on his hand, scrambled to his feet and pushed through the crowd of people that had gathered to watch screaming, "Get out of my way!"

"Hail Theoden King!" one of the guards shouted and everyone kneeled to Theoden. Kate, Legolas, Eowyn, Gimli and I just stood where we were and I watched Wormtongue ride out of Edoras on a black horse. _Meh, we'll take care of him later. _I thought as I glared after him. King Theoden looked back at the people who had been in the Golden Hall when Gandalf freed him. "Where is Théodred? Where is my son?" he asked.

~~~~~meep~~~~~meep~~~~~meep~~~~~

Théodred's body was carried through the city and to his tomb by six guards who were followed immediately by King Theoden, then Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, Kate, me, then some of the people of Rohan. The rest of the men were standing on the sidelines watching. We walked down to the tombs where the women stood. Eowyn started to sing in the language of Rohan as the six guards laid Théodred's body to rest in the tomb. I bowed my head in respect and said a silent prayer for Théodred and the many other brave soldiers who died to defend the freedom of the people of Middle Earth.

After Théodred's funeral, I went back to the Golden Hall with Kate, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and Eowyn. We all sat down and ate some of the food that was brought out for us. I don't think I have ever appreciated cheese and crackers more in my life. Yep, that's really all I ate out of all the food that was there. Soon, Gandalf and Theoden came back with two small children, boy and a girl. Both had blonde hair and the boy looked to be the older of the two. Even then he couldn't have been older than twelve, if that. Eowyn quickly sat them down and gave them some soup, which they practically attacked, and sat with them. I didn't exactly blame them for attacking the food; they hadn't eaten in days and the boy had only been half conscious when they were brought in. I felt bad for them.

"They had no warning. They were unarmed. Now the Wild Men are moving through the Westfold, burning as they go. Rick, cot and tree." Eowyn said after a few minutes. "Where is Mama?" the little girl asked. Eowyn hushed the child and wrapped a thick blanket around her shoulders.

"Did you hear that Kate? That was the sound of my heart breaking." I whispered to my sister. "Mine did too." She whispered back and patted my shoulder.

"This is but a taste of the terror Saruman will unleash; all the more potent for he is driven now by fear of Sauron. Ride out and meet him head on. Draw him away from your women and children. You must fight." Gandalf told King Theoden, who was sitting on his throne with his face in his hand. "You have two thousand good men riding north as we speak. Éomer is loyal to you. His men will return and fight for their king." Aragorn added. Theoden got up and started walking towards the children.

"They will be three hundred leagues from here by now. Éomer cannot help us. I know what it is you want of me….but I will not bring further death to my people. I will not risk open war." The king replied, looking at Gandalf. "Open war is upon you whether you would risk it or not." Aragorn stated. I saw Eowyn give Aragorn a warning look. Theoden turned to Aragorn and took a few steps towards him. "When last I looked, Theoden, not Aragorn, was King of Rohan." Theoden told him. Suddenly, Gimli burped loudly and wiped his mouth, looking embarrassed. I couldn't decide whether to roll my eyes, laugh, or totally ignore it like everyone else. Ah, who ever said I was like everyone else? I laughed softly and rolled my eyes. "Then what is the King's decision?" Gandalf asked. King Theoden decided to lead the people to the refuge of Helm's Deep.

I could tell everyone was more than annoyed as we left for the stables to pack our things and get ready to go. "By order of the King, the city must empty. We make for the refuge of Helm's deep. Do not burden yourself with treasures. Take only what provisions you need." We heard one of the guards say as we made for the stables, after of course, getting our weapons back. I smirked at the look on King Theoden's face when he saw Kate and I putting our weapons back on before going to attend to something that needed his immediate attention.

"Helm's Deep." Gandalf grumbled. "They flee to the mountains when they should stand and fight. Who will defend them if not their king?" Gimli commented. I shrugged. "He's only doing what he thinks is best for his people. Helm's Deep has saved them in the past." Aragorn responded as we walked into the stables. _Am I going to be riding with Kate again or am I getting my own horse? _I wondered randomly as Kate walked to Braylla and began to prepare her horse for the ride to Helm's Deep.

"There is no way out of that ravine. Theoden is walking into a trap. He thinks he is leading them to safety. What they will get is a massacre. Theoden has a strong will, but I fear for him. I fear for the survival of Rohan. He will need you before the end Aragorn. The defenses _have _to hold." Gandalf explained walked to Shadowfax. "They will hold." Aragorn assured him. Gandalf walked to Shadowfax and stroked the horse's nose, muttering something to himself. I wasn't paying attention anymore.

I did, however, pay attention when Gandalf rode out of the stall at a very fast pace and Legolas pulled me out of the middle of the hall so I wouldn't get hurt. Once Gandalf had left, I gave Legolas a quick hug and a kiss on his cheek before looking over at my sister, who was talking to Eowyn. We hadn't been properly introduced yet, so I assume that's what Kate was doing.

"Hi Kate!" I said as I walked over to the two of them. "Hi. Eowyn, I would like you to meet my sister, Olympia. Olympia, this is Eowyn." Kate introduced me to Eowyn. "Hello Eowyn. It's nice to meet you." I smiled. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Lady Olympia." Eowyn smiled. "Eowyn, you do not need to call me Lady. I really don't like formalities." I told her. She nodded. "Anyway, I have to ask you something Eowyn. See, Olympia rode with me on Braylla here and I wanted to know if there were any horses Olympia could ride so she doesn't have to ride with me this time." My sister turned to Eowyn as she said this. Typical Kate. I guess being able to read someone's mind is what happens when you know them their whole lives. I am now convinced of this. Why? Because it seems that way with my sister and I and stranger things have happened.

"I am sure we will be able to find a horse for Olympia." Eowyn replied. "Really? Thank you!" I grinned at her. Inside I was jumping up and down and dancing like a lunatic. "Yes. If you would just follow me." Eowyn smiled a little upon seeing me bouncing on the balls of my feet and led me to a stall of a light-colored horse with a black mane and tail; the horse also had black fur about halfway up its legs. "I do not believe this mare has a master. You may ride her if you wish." Eowyn told me as she petted the mare's neck. I smiled to myself and slowly approached the horse, petting her nose. She nuzzled my hand and Eowyn laughed softly. I smiled and petted the horse's neck as well.

"I believe she likes you." Eowyn pointed out. "She's beautiful. Does she have a name?" I asked. "No, she does not have a name at the moment." Eowyn answered. "Can I name her?" the next question came out of my mouth a split second after my first one was answered. Eowyn smiled at my apparent enthusiasm. "Yes, you may name her." She told me. "Arya. I'll name her Arya." I said, deciding to name the horse after one of my favorite fictional characters. In case it isn't obvious; I am a very avid reader of fantasy books. "That is a beautiful name though it seems a bit strange to me." Eowyn replied. I smiled. After showing me how to brush Arya and put a saddle on her and all that happy crap, Eowyn left to go do something else in preparation to leave for Helm's Deep. After of course chuckling in response to my many 'Thank you' speeches and saying she was happy to help me.

Soon enough, we mounted our horses and left the city of Edoras behind us as we made for Helm's Deep. My heart went out to these people. Watching them leave behind everything they've ever known, not knowing whether or not they'd come back or what they would find if they did. It was a truly heartbreaking sight. The fact that I knew many of them wouldn't be coming back broke my heart even more. I urged Arya forward and rode between Kate and Legolas. Gimli was riding another horse that was being led by Eowyn.

*Francesca's POV*

We had left the Black Gates some time ago and were now walking through a forest along a river. "Olympia, would love it here." I commented. "I'm sure she would." Frodo commented. Holy crap. He spoke. Frodo hadn't been talking much and seemed a bit depressed. Sam nodded in agreement. "I can just see her sitting up in one of those trees and laughing at something ridiculous that we were doing. She's done that before you know." I continued.

"I can't say I am very surprised at that." Sam commented with a smile. "Oh yeah. There was one time when we were in second grade. Olympia, Kate and I were at her house, playing in the yard. We hadn't met Natalie yet. We were laughing and goofing off, a lot like we do now and she decided to climb a tree and talk in a high squeaky voice, trying to convince Kate and me that squirrels could talk. Kate, who was eleven at the time and in fourth grade, didn't buy it. But my ridiculous seven year old mind believed her. I started talking out loud to a squirrel on the fence, asking what acorns tasted like and things like that. Olympia laughed so hard she fell out of the tree. But that was when she sprained her wrist. Even now, she'll still crack jokes about it. We'll see a squirrel and Olympia will make her voice go high pitched and squeaky and say something like, 'Hi Francesca! Remember me? I'm Chippy the squirrel! Acorns taste like crap. Do you have any real food? Pizza maybe?' and then we'll all remember that and laugh." I started laughing as I re-lived that particular instance. By the end of the story, Sam and Frodo had given up on stifling their laughter and were both chuckling as they pictured that.

I smiled at the realization of the fact that a silly childhood memory had made Frodo forget, if only for a moment, that the weight of the world was quite literally on his shoulders. Gollum was half swimming in the river chasing a fish. I rolled my eyes and we talked for a while. Sam and Frodo told me about the Shire and I told them stories of the stupid thing Kate, Olympia, Natalie and I had done; including Kate and Natalie's series of pranks on me and Olympia last April Fools' Day, which just so happened to be the birthday of a friend of ours. This friend was in on the pranks and just sat there laughing at our misfortune. Twelve straight hours of exploding soda cans, fake lottery tickets, red hands from dye mixed with soap and put in soap dispensers and baby powder in my hair dryer. It had absolutely sucked. When I saw Olympia again, we'd have to plot revenge. As I finished recounting this event, I noticed that Gollum was _still_ chasing that fish.

"Hey, stinker, don't go getting too far ahead." Sam called to him. "Why do you do that?" Frodo asked. "What?" Sam replied. "Call him names. Run him down all the time." Frodo clarified, sounding a bit….defensive. What the hell? _And just as suddenly as it started, our little escape from reality ended. Damn I miss them. I hope Kate's watching out for them like she always does. _I thought to myself.

"Because. Because that's what he is, Mr. Frodo. There's naught left in him but lies and deceit. It's the Ring he wants. It's all that he cares about." Sam responded. "You have no idea what it did to him. What it's still doing to him." Frodo told him, looking a bit pissed. He walked away from Sam a few steps and looked to Gollum, who had lost the fish. "I want to help him, Sam." He continued. "Why?" Sam asked. "Because I have to believe he can come back." Frodo said.

"Bless your heart Frodo, but I think he's past the point of help." I added. "You can't save him Mr. Frodo." Sam said and we walked up to him. Frodo whirled around and glared between us. "And what do you know about it? Nothing!" He snapped. Sam looked hurt and I bit my lip as Sam and I walked around Frodo and gave him some space. I tried not to take it personally. The Ring is doing this to him. That's the main reason I came. Yeah I may not get to fight in the actual battles and whatnot but Frodo's my friend and I want to help him. Sam's my friend too and I don't want him getting hurt either. Plus the fact that I'm not much of a fighter; that's Olympia's and Natalie's thing. And hey, Kate lives with Olympia so she has to know how to defend herself. Olympia wouldn't allow her to not. She cares so much that she roped Natalie into helping her teach me and Kate some basic self defense. "I'm sorry Sam, Francesca. I don't know why I said that." Frodo said.

"I do. It's the Ring. You can't take your eyes off it. I've seen you. You're not eating. You barely sleep. Its taken hold of you, Frodo. You have to fight it." Sam replied, walking up to his long-time friend. "I know what I have to do Sam! The Ring was entrusted to me. It's my task. Mine! My own!" Frodo snapped again and walked away. "Can't you hear yourself? Don't you know who you sound like?" Sam yelled. He looked like he wanted to cry. _He sounds like Gollum. _I thought.

**Author's note: And yeah. Lots of random stuff from the past. There you have the story of how Olympia sprained her wrist, the story of Kate and Natalie's epic prank war on Olympia and Francesca, Olympia teaching Francesca and Kate some self defense and Olympia getting her own horse. By the way, yes, Olympia's horse is in fact named after Arya from the 'Inheritance Cycle' series. I felt like it, okay? READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	26. Chapter 26

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT I REFERENCE! FRANCESCA AND NATALIE OWN THEMSELVES! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS!**

Chapter Twenty Six

Francesca's POV

We travelled throughout the morning of the next day before stopping for lunch. Gollum ran off somewhere, Frodo was resting, and Sam and I were just chilling out. I picked up a particularly pointy stick and started drawing in the dirt with it, holding it like a pencil. Sam looked over my shoulder for a minute.

"What are you drawing, Miss Francesca?" he asked. "Sam, how many times must I ask you not to call me 'Miss'?" I replied. "At least once more, Miss Francesca. But it wouldn't exactly be proper for me to just call you Francesca." Sam insisted. _Holy shit! He just quoted 'Pirates of the Caribbean'! _I thought. "Fine. By the way, you just quoted the movie 'Pirates of the Caribbean'." I said. "Did I?" Sam asked. "Yes. Wait, how on earth do you know that movie? Did Kate and Olympia show you what movies are?" I wondered out loud, a small smirk on my face. "Yes, they did. I believe we watched 'Pirates of the Caribbean'." Sam told me. I burst out laughing at the thought of the Fellowship, Kate and Olympia sitting in their living room, completely sucked into that movie. I wondered who would have been the first to comment on how alike Legolas and Will Turner looked. Had I been there, it would have been me.

"It's something they would do." I shook my head. "Anyway, I am drawing a picture of that rabbit over there; but I haven't done a lot of rabbit anatomy so I'm pretty sure this is going to be awful." I changed the subject and pointed to a rabbit that was sitting under one of the scrawny bushes that was around. "That's not awful at all! It's a very good drawing, Miss Francesca." Sam complimented, looking at my drawing, then back at the rabbit. "Thanks." I said. Sam soon got up and started looking around. I continued drawing the rabbit.

Soon, Gollum came back carrying two dead rabbits with him. I glanced back at the rabbit I was drawing. The rabbit looked at Gollum, then at me, then scampered off. _No! Son of a bitch scared off my rabbit! _I pouted. Gollum quickly deposited the dead rabbits in Frodo's lap.

"Look. Look what Smeagol finds." Gollum said to Frodo, and started dancing around. Weird. Frodo had an amused smile on his face and looked at Sam, who sighed. I rolled my eyes and started to draw random squiggles in the dirt next to the rabbit. Then I heard a sickening crack and looked up to that Gollum had apparently snapped the spine of one of the rabbits. "They are young. They are tender. They are nice. Yes, they are. Eat them. Eat them!" Gollum exclaimed, then bit into one of the rabbits. I gagged. _That's nasty! _I thought.

Sam walked over and took the rabbits from Gollum. "You'll make him sick you will! Behaving like that. There's only one way to eat a brace of coneys." Sam scolded as he took out his cooking stuff and started getting ready to make a stew. "Sam, can I help?" I asked. I wanted to do something. Besides, I like cooking. Now, if only I could get Olympia and Kate to teach me how to make their famous tomato sauce. Apparently there's some sort of family secret to it or something like that. "Of course you can, Miss Francesca." Sam replied. Soon we had a nice little fire going and a stew boiling in the pot that Sam had. He stirred it and when I wasn't watching the fire I was drawing a picture of my cat Harry from memory in the dirt with my pencil/stick.

Soon, Gollum realized what we were doing and starting yelling in protest. "What's it doing? Stupid, fat hobbit! It ruins it!" he wailed. "What's there to ruin? There's hardly any meat on them." Sam retorted as Frodo went to get some plates out of a pack. "What we need is a few good taters." Sam continued. _Sam! Shush! You're making me hungry! Mmm, potatoes. _I thought. "What's taters, precious? What's taters? Eh?" Gollum asked. "Po-ta-toes. Boil them. Mash them. Stick them in a stew. Big lovely, golden chips with a nice piece of fried fish." Sam explained. Gollum made a face and blew a raspberry. "Even you couldn't say no to that." Sam commented. "Oh yes we could! Spoil a nice fish. Give it to us raw, and wriggling. You keep nasty chips." Gollum crawled up to Sam and got all up in his face as he said this. I stuck my tongue out. "You're hopeless." Sam said. I chuckled dryly as I put some finishing touches on my picture of Harry. It was then that we realized that Frodo was gone.

"Mr. Frodo?" Sam called. "Frodo?" I yelled. We soon got up, ditched the stew, and found Frodo crouched down by the edge of a nearby cliff, watching a bunch of men dressed in black. We crouched down near him. _So much for the stewed rabbit._ "Ah crap." I whispered.

"Who are they?" Sam asked. "Wicked men. Servants of Sauron. They are called to Mordor. The Dark One is gathering all armies to him. It won't be long now. He will soon be ready." Gollum answered. "Ready to do what?" Sam inquired. "To make his war. The last war that will cover all the world in Shadow." Gollum said. "Not if we've got anything to say about it." I stated determinedly.

"We've got to get moving. Come on, Sam, Francesca." Frodo said and started to pull us away. That was when we saw the giant demonic elephant things. They were carrying big carriage things on their backs with more people in them. "Mr. Frodo, look! It's an Oliphaunt. No one at home will believe this." Sam whispered in awe. Suddenly there were bird calls. I turned to look in the direction of the noise. If I focused in on the brush, I saw men there with green cloaks and hoods holding bows. Gollum crept away. "Smeagol?" Frodo asked.

Then the fight began. The men in the brush started shooting arrows at the men in black and the Oliphaunts. I watched as many of them fell where they were and the rest started yelling and chaos ensued. One of the Oliphaunts got spooked and came charging at us. _Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. _I thought. I tensed up, but couldn't move. Everything after that happened very fast. An arrow struck one of the guys riding the Oliphaunt. The guy fell and landed a few feet behind us, causing the Oliphaunt to turn away and run in another direction.

"We've lingered here too long." Frodo said as he scrambled to his feet. I stood up and made to follow him. Sam stayed rooted on the spot. "Come on, Sam." Frodo said and turned around, crashing right into one of the hooded dudes. I spun around towards Frodo, crashing into another one of the hooded dudes. Frodo struggled; Sam drew his sword and was knocked over by another hooded dude. I struggled against the hooded dude holding me. I stomped on his foot and elbowed him in the gut. Thank you Olympia! I ran towards Frodo only to be caught by another hooded dude. Damn. I struggled again and was promptly knocked on my ass and a sword was held at my throat. _Son of a bitch! _I thought. Frodo was pushed to the ground as well and there was another sword at his throat.

"Wait! We're innocent travelers." Sam told the dudes. I gave them huge puppy dog eyes. As if it would help. A man with his hood down came forward. He had long-ish blonde-ish hair and blue eyes. He reminded me a little bit of Boromir. What the amber lamps?

"There are no travelers in this land. Only servants of the Dark Tower." He said. "We're not servants of the enemy!" I yelled. I spluttered for a moment, trying to form words. A part of me wanted to tell this guy off, another part wanted to go a step further and do so in Italian. But the more sensible part of me took the warning that was in the look Frodo gave me and I shut up.

"We are sworn to an errand of secrecy. Those that claim to oppose the enemy would do well not hinder us." Frodo told the man calmly. Only Frodo could own somebody like that and be totally calm about it. "The enemy? His sense of duty was no less than yours, I deem. You wonder what his name is...where he came from. And if he was really evil at heart. What lies or threats led him on this long march from home. If he would not rather have stayed there...in peace. War will make corpses of us all. Bind their hands." The man said as he looked at the dead guy who had fallen off the Oliphaunt and walked off. Our hands were bound with rope and we were dragged along after him. I cursed him out in my mind. Then, of course, I remembered who the guy was. This was Faramir; Boromir's brother. I had a mini flashback of Olympia's many rants about how completely different the movie version of Faramir and the book version of Faramir were. Apparently, his character was completely butchered in the film. I wouldn't know, I've never read the books.

*Olympia's POV*

I was riding next to Legolas at this point in our march to Helm's Deep. I kinda felt bad for being one of the only ones riding. Every now and then I talk to Eowyn as she led the horse Gimli was on. Just the sight of Gimli actually riding a horse was a bit odd. I liked talking to Eowyn and I felt like a friendship was beginning to form between us. At one point Gimli had started talking about dwarf women. I'm not sure exactly how we got on that particular topic. But who am I to really care? With my friends, we've gone from video games, to YouTube videos, to movies, to school, to people, to deep philosophical stuff, and back to video games over the span of a single conversation. Yeah, sometimes Franceca, Kate and I are actually deep and philosophical. Natalie, no offense to her, isn't really one to talk about stuff like that.

"It's true, you don't see many dwarf women. And in fact, they're so alike in voice and appearance, that they're often mistaken for dwarf men." Gimli said, waving his hands around as he did. Eowyn smiled and looked back at Aragorn, who was nearby. "It's the beards." He whispered, gesturing to an imaginary beard. I chuckled. Aragorn actually does have a sense of humor! Eowyn grinned, shushed him quietly, and looked back ahead. "This, in turn, has given rise to the belief that there are no dwarf women, and that dwarves just spring out of holes in the ground, which is of course ridiculous." Gimli explained as Eowyn, Kate and I all laughed out loud. Gimli's horse randomly ran ahead a bit and Gimli toppled off, landing flat on his ass. This caused me, Kate and Eowyn to laugh harder and Eowyn to rush up and help him. Aragorn cracked a grin.

"It's alright. Nobody panic. That was deliberate. It was deliberate." Gimli stated. "Somehow I doubt that!" I grinned. Gimli attempted to glare at me, but ended up chuckling and shaking his head. In response to this, I stuck out my tongue at him. Legolas made an attempt not to laugh at this whole thing, but failed miserably when I looked at him and said in a silly singsong voice, "It's okay to laugh; you know you want to."

"I haven't seen my niece smile for a long time. She was a girl when they brought her father back dead, cut down by orcs. She watched her mother succumb to grief. Then she was left alone, to tend her king in growing fear. Doomed to wait upon and old man who should have loved her as a father." I heard King Theoden telling Aragorn. I frowned slightly as we continued to ride.

"Looks like somebody's getting better at riding." Kate grinned at me after a little while. I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, kinda." I answered. "I wonder….Do you think you'd be able to shoot an arrow from horseback?" she asked with a smirk. "Let's not push our luck." I replied. "I think you could do it." Kate insisted.

"As do I." Legolas added as he urged Arod up to my other side. "Seriously?" I asked. "Yes." Kate and Legolas answered in unison. "Okay." I raised my hands up in a sign of surrender and started laughing. "Ha! See? You can ride with no hands for a full sixty seconds! It doesn't even take you half that to shoot an arrow! I win!" Kate exclaimed. I laughed even harder and looked over at Legolas. "She is right, you know." He told me. I shrugged. Kate reached over and gave me a light punch on the shoulder.

Later on, as the sun started to set, we stopped for a break. I hopped out of Arya's saddle and petted her before letting her roam around with the other horses. Kate, Legolas and I all sat together a little ways away from Aragorn, who had started to clean his sword. Gimli wandered around a bit. Eowyn and some of the other women started cooking and a while later Eowyn had a pot of stew and was handing out some bowls.

"Gimli?" she asked as he walked by her. "No, I couldn't. I really couldn't." he responded and walked off somewhere. She offered some stew to Legolas, Kate and I, but we had all said no. She then walked over to Aragorn. "I made some stew. It isn't much, but it's hot." She told Aragorn as she filled a bowl and passed it to him.

"Thank you." Aragorn said and tasted the stew. He attempted to hide the grimace that came over his face. Eowyn looked at him, concerned. "It's good." Aragorn said. "Really?" Eowyn asked happily. She then turned to walk away. Kate and I shook our heads in mock disappointment when Aragorn tried to dump his stew onto the ground. Aragorn just gave us a look. Eowyn turned back and he quickly pulled the bowl up, spilling some in the process and making a face. For the sake of my new friend's feelings, I stifled my laughter.

"My uncle told me a strange thing. He said you rode to war with Thengel, my grandfather. But he must be mistaken." Eowyn stated. I bit back a smirk. Aragorn nodded. "King Theoden has a good memory. He was only a small child at the time." He responded. "Then you must be at least sixty." Eowyn said, kneeling down in front of Aragorn. Kate grinned and I fought back my laughter when Aragorn looked a bit embarrassed. "Seventy? But you cannot be eighty!" Eowyn continued and Aragorn looked at the ground. "Eighty seven." Aragorn answered. The shocked expression on Eowyn's face and Aragorn's embarrassed expression made for a hilarious sight.

"Kodak moment." I whispered to Kate, who laughed. "Kodak?" Legolas asked, looking puzzled. "A camera company." Kate stated. Legolas looked even more confused. "Kate, you confuzzled him!" I laughed. "You brought it up." Kate replied smoothly.

"You are one of the Dúnedain. A descendent of Númenor blessed with long life. It was said that your race passed into legend." Eowyn realized. Aragorn nodded slowly. "There are few of us left; the Northern Kingdom was destroyed long ago." Aragorn explained sadly. "I'm sorry. Please, eat." Eowyn said.

We stopped again later that night and I sat on my blankets with Legolas and Kate. "So, Olympia. You never told me what you named your horse." Kate stated conversationally as I watched our horses wandering around. "I named her Arya." I answered. Legolas nodded and Kate chuckled. "You would." She commented. "I know I would. That's why I did." I smiled. Legolas looked confused. "Arya is the name of a character in a series of books that Olympia read." Kate explained. "She was my favorite, so I named my horse after her." I continued. Legolas smiled and I'm pretty sure my heart skipped a beat. Kate got up and left to go help Eowyn with something after a while. I'm not exactly sure what it was but I heard crying, then turned to see Kate helping Eowyn tend to a small child who had fallen and scraped up his knee. After that, Kate got her blankets and stuff, said she was tired, and promptly went to sleep.

I scooted closer to Legolas and gave him a hug. He laughed and wrapped an arm around me. "Meep." I smiled as I snuggled into his side. "What does that mean?" he asked. "What, meep? It means absolutely nothing yet at the same time it can mean anything. The word itself is complete nonsense. But the way you say it can portray emotions in a way that normal words usually can't. That was a happy 'meep'." I explained. "Ah." Legolas nodded in understanding. I nodded. We sat in silence for a while before I let out a huge yawn and decided to get some rest. "Buenos noches, mi amor." I said to Legolas as I wrapped myself in my cloak and lay down. "Olympia, you know I did not understand what you just said, correct?" Legolas told me. I face-palmed and sat up, realizing I had switched into Spanish. "It meant, 'good night, my love.'" I translated. Legolas smiled and gave me a quick kiss. "I love you too. Rest well." He told me. I smiled as I curled up close to him and fell asleep.

**Author' note: Meep! I warned you; my Legolas/Olympia fluff obsession is back with a vengeance. Yeah. Here's wishing all of my fantastic readers a happy and safe holidays! HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU ALL! READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	27. Chapter 27

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT I REFERENCE! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS! **

Chapter Twenty Seven

Olympia's POV

I spent much of the next day riding, singing under my breath, snarking my sister, worrying myself sick about Natalie and Francesca, and talking to Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas or Eowyn. Kate was riding next to Aragorn and Legolas and I were riding together near them. Legolas soon went to the top of a nearby hill to scout ahead. I had zoned out worrying about my friends again when Eowyn asked Aragorn a question that caught my interest.

"Where is she; the woman that gave you that jewel?" she asked. I watched Aragorn's facial expression turned distant and slightly sad as he spaced out for a little bit. "My lord?" Eowyn asked after a few moments of awkward silence. "She is sailing to the Undying Lands with all that is left of her kin." Aragorn answered. Two soldiers then rode ahead past Legolas and down the hill. Above them on the cliff face, a warg and rider appeared. My heart might have just stopped for a second before going into complete overdrive. I'd forgotten about the warg attack completely. I remembered the first time Francesca had seen the second Lord of the Rings movie and called them Blargs. _Holy bleep on a bleep sandwich with bleep on top and a side order of bleep! That pretty much sums it up. _Arya started to shift nervously on her feet. I petted her neck and whispered to her in an attempt to calm her down.

The warg jumped down from the cliff face and leapt onto one of the guards, knocking him off his horse. The guard screamed as his friend tried to kill the warg and its rider. However Legolas beat him to it and shot the warg, then killed the orc with his fighting knives. Aragorn ran up to the top of the hill to get a better look at what was going on.

"A scout!" Legolas yelled to him. "Shit." Kate swore under her breath. "I was thinking something more along the lines of 'Holy bleep on a bleep on a bleep sandwich with bleep on top and a side order of bleep' but that works too." I whispered to her. Aragorn turned and ran back to us. Theoden rode up to him, but I wasn't paying attention to what he was saying.

"Wargs! We're under attack!" Aragorn yelled. The people started to panic and Theoden called all the riders up to the front and told Eowyn to lead the people to Helm's Deep. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw two riders helping Gimli up onto Arod. Kate and I rode up to the front with the other riders despite any protest from the other soldiers who tried to get us to go with the others.

"Follow me!" Theoden yelled to the riders. Aragorn mounted his horse and rode next to Kate and me as we headed towards the wargs. I saw Legolas standing on top of another hill facing the wargs as they ran towards us. He drew his bow and started to shoot down the wargs from a pretty big distance. Soon, Kate, me and the other riders caught up with Legolas. I didn't have time to react as he turned around just in time to see us coming, grabbed a hold of the straps that were on Arya and swung himself up into the saddle behind me.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" I yelled to Legolas as I took my bow off my back. _Well Kate, it looks like we're about to find out if I can actually shoot arrows on horseback. _I thought bitterly. A split second later, we collided with the wargs and the battle commenced. By some sort of huge miracle I was able to shoot arrows, keep Arya out of the way of wargs, and stay on her back all at once. I fired mainly at the wargs. I took note of the fact that when an orc fell off his mount, he was usually trampled by someone else's or taken out by one of the Rohirrim. Gimli soon fell off Arod and attracted the attention of a nearby warg. I turned Arya in the direction of the warg.

"Bring your pretty face to my axe!" Gimli yelled at the warg. Legolas shot the warg as we rode past it. "That one counts as mine!" Gimli shouted as we rode off. _Wait! When did we start counting?! _I shot another arrow into a warg near us and turned forwards again just in time to see another warg charging Arya and try to jump on her. I tensed as Arya reared up on her hind legs and kicked the warg in the face, successfully killing it. However, in the process she caused me to fall off to the side. Legolas tried to catch me but I ended up barrel rolling on the ground. I back rolled and stood up, drawing my knives and turning to chop off an orc's head. He fell off his warg and said warg charged at me. Feeling very much like a matador, I quickly moved out of the way and stabbed it in the neck. I spun around and took a fighting stance, bouncing on the balls of my feet.

Some random orc who had fallen off his warg attacked me from behind, lifting me up off the ground. I hooked my right leg up and the orc grunted and fell over, letting me know I had hit my target. I rolled away into a crouch and slit the orc's throat. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Gimli, pinned under a dead warg, snap an orc's neck only to have the orc land on top of him as well. _Ouch._

I spun around to see a warg coming at me. I dropped to the ground as the warg jumped up to attack me, suffering no injury to myself as the warg landed on the ground behind me. I sprang back up and twirled my knives. Apparently, it pissed off the orc riding this particular warg that I was still alive and he charged at me again. This time, I grabbed onto the warg's fur and swung up behind the orc. The orc turned around, mini sword thing in hand and swung at me. I ducked, blocked his next few attacks with my knives, stabbed him in the stomach, and shoved him off the warg, who was, by the way, still running around like a maniac. However, this son of a bitch wasn't going down without a fight and grabbed onto the bottom of my hair, trying to drag me off the warg with him. I winced in pain and took a slash at him with one of my knives, taking off a good four inches of my own hair as I did. I didn't care about that at the moment though; the orc fell off and that was all that mattered. Until, of course, I saw the edge of a cliff coming up way too fast for my liking. The warg growled and tried to fight me, throwing off my balance. I wobbled a quite bit and spared a glance to the side, only to see Aragorn and a warg beside me. They were close enough that I could have reached out my arm and almost toughed the warg. Aragorn was struggling to get his hand un-stuck from the warg's saddle. I screamed as the warg I was on skidded to a stop. But it was a bit late and Aragorn, me and both wargs went over the side of the cliff.

Somehow, in the air, I managed to stab the warg and not kill myself in the process. I squeezed my eyes shut and braced myself for impact. The dead warg landed on the gravelly shore of a river below us. Seeing as I had landed on the warg, the force of the impact threw me off and I smacked my head on the ground a good five feet away. Everything hurt now and as black spots danced in my field of vision, I saw an unconscious Aragorn float to the shore. Then I shut my eyes and everything faded to black.

*Kate's POV*

The battle was just about over. I was walking around, helping up the wounded people, helping dig up survivors from underneath dead wargs and orcs, killing wargs and orcs that hadn't died yet, and searching desperately for Olympia. I hadn't seen anything of her after Legolas swung up onto Arya's back at the beginning of the battle.

"Aragorn!" I heard Legolas yelling. I ran towards him, hoping he knew where Olympia was. "Olympia!" I shouted as I ran. "Aragorn? Olympia?" Gimli called. "Has anyone seen Olympia, or Aragorn?" I asked as I joined Legolas. He shook his head and stooped down to look at something on the ground near the edge of the cliff. I looked over the edge, hoping with everything I had that Olympia hadn't fallen over. That was when I heard orc laughter. It made my blood run cold. I turned and saw two orcs, seriously wounded, lying on the ground no less than ten feet from one another. _Oh this doesn't look good. _Gimli held his axe at the throat of one and I took out my dagger and held it at the other.

"Tell me what happened and I shall ease your passing." Gimli said to the orc. "I'm not as nice and I'm going to kill you either way. However it will be much more painful for you if you don't tell me what happened." I threatened the other orc. Legolas walked over and stood between Gimli and me.

"They're…..dead." The orc Gimli was threatening told us. "Took a little tumble off the cliff. The both of them." The orc I was threatening continued. Legolas looked like he didn't know which orc he wanted to throttle first. I took my dagger away from the orc's throat and grabbed him by the collar. Legolas did the same to the other.

"You lie! You both do!" he exclaimed. Both orcs started laughing again. The one Legolas was glaring at just died and I slit the other one's throat. Then I looked down to the orc's hand and saw in it something that made me want to be sick. The orc was holding about four inches of half-braided, golden brown-ish/dirty blonde hair. I bit back a sob. Or would it have been a scream of rage? I didn't care. I picked up my baby sister's hair and ran to the edge of the cliff again, this time King Theoden was there. I know Olympia's not a baby, but I've always called her my baby sister. Legolas and Gimli came up beside me a second later and we all stared over the edge. I clenched my fist around Olympia's hair. I saw the Evenstar necklace in Legolas's hand and remembered that he thought Aragorn was dead too. I knew Aragorn would be relatively alright. I had no idea what happened to Olympia after she went over the cliff, but surviving that fall wasn't the most likely option.

"They weren't lying." I choked out, holding up Olympia's hair. Legolas shook his head and looked like he was just hit square in the chest with a ton of bricks, which is basically how I felt. I wanted to cry, but this grief was beyond tears. My little sister, who would have gladly taken a bullet for any one of the Fellowship, Francesca, Natalie or me, the kind of girl who would have given you the shirt off her back if you needed it, the shy, kind, funny, lovable, independent, loyal, amazing girl who, on the worst day I'd ever had until now, made me laugh so hard I cried and fell out of my chair.….was gone. In my opinion the world has suffered an awful loss and I knew in my heart that I would never be the same.

"Get the wounded on horses. The wolves of Isengard will return. Leave the dead." Theoden said to a soldier who had showed up. If looks could kill, I'm not sure who would have vaporized him first, me, Legolas or Gimli. "Come." He put a shoulder on Legolas's shoulder. I re-braided the piece of Olympia's hair and put it down by the edge of a cliff with a few small yellow flowers I picked up. It was the least I could do, seeing as I wouldn't be able to give her an actual funeral. When I got the chance, I'd draw a portrait of her and when it snowed in wherever I decided to stay after all was said and done, I'd find a huge pine tree and make a little memorial shrine to her. It would remind me of her favorite season. She loved winter._ Wherever you are Olympia, I need you to know that we all love you. We'll all miss you something terrible._

Silently, we left and continued on to Helm's Deep. I completely suck at singing, but even I couldn't help humming one of Olympia's favorite songs to myself. Along with the sound of horse hooves on stone and people yelling, the half-mumbled words to 'Colors of the Wind' from Disney's 'Pocahontas' heralded our arrival to Helm's Deep. We rode into the fortress and were greeted with a whole bunch of people wanting to know what had happened. Eowyn ran out from one of the other places and began talking to King Theoden.

"So few. So few of you have returned." She said sounding a bit worried. "Our people are safe. We have paid for it with many lives." The king answered. Gimli then walked over to her, probably to tell her about what happened to Aragorn and Olympia. I didn't trust myself not to burst into tears, so I just dismounted Braylla and stood silently off to the side.

"My lady." Gimli said. "Lord Aragorn and Lady Olympia…..where are they?" Eowyn asked. "They fell." Gimli answered sadly. Eowyn looked stunned. I turned away and decided to make myself useful by helping the people get their supplies into the caves.

*Natalie's POV*

Merry, Pippin and I were riding on Treebeard again. I don't remember where he was taking us and quite frankly I didn't care at the moment. The ent had come to the top of a hill and we could see Isengard; smoke rose from that general direction.

"Look. There's smoke rising in the south." Pippin pointed out. _No shit Sherlock. _I thought. "There is always smoke rising from Isengard these days." Treebeard answered. "Isengard?" Merry asked. "There was a time, when Saruman would walk in my woods. But now he has a mind of metal, and wheels. He no longer cares for growing things." Treebeard told us as we climbed higher in his branches. What I saw caused me to shudder. An enormous mass of Uruk Hai was leaving Isengard. Even from where we were, I could hear their horns.

"What is it?" Pippin asked. "It's Saruman's army. The war has started." Merry answered. _They're going to Rohan. The Battle of Helm's Deep will happen soon. Good luck to Kate and Olympia seeing as I'm almost certain that's where they'll be. _I thought as Treebeard continued walking.

**Author's note: *hides under my desk to avoid things being thrown at me* I know, I know! I'm a bad person for leaving such an awful cliffhanger! Please don't form an angry mob and come after me! If you do, you'll never know if Olympia lives! Unless of course you go through my computer after you kill me… Anyway! READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	28. Chapter 28

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT I REFERENCE! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES RESPECTIVELY! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS!**

Chapter Twenty Eight

Olympia's POV

When I came to again I wasn't sure where I was or how much time had passed. Or if I was even alive for that matter. I quickly shot down the possibility of my being dead when I became aware of a throbbing headache, a pretty big scratch across my left shoulder and upper arm, and some other scratches and cuts. I was mainly concerned with the one on my shoulder. It wasn't bleeding, anymore, but it still hurt like hell. Being dead wouldn't hurt this much. I groaned and sat up, wincing as my head throbbed a bit more and looking around the riverbank I had landed on. Then I remembered everything, the warg attack, Legolas nearly giving me a heart attack when he swung up onto Arya behind me, the warg I had killed while falling off the cliff. The dead warg was still where it had landed; I just left it. Aragorn was on the riverbank as well, but he was still unconscious.

Slowly, I tried to get to my feet. I made it to about a half crouch before stumbling and falling over again. _Owww. Okay, let's not do that again. _I thought as I sat crisscrossed on the ground. Taking deep breaths, I waited for the throbbing in my head to dull a bit before trying to stand up again. This time I was able to get up and walk over to where Aragorn was. I sat near him. He came in and out of consciousness for a while.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. _Kate, Legolas and Gimli are all going to think I'm dead. Kate knows Aragorn is alive but Legolas and Gimli are going to think he's dead too. When we get back, Kate is going to kill me for real._

Soon, a brown-ish colored horse came up to us out of nowhere and started to nudge Aragorn. I moved out of the horse's way and stood up. The horse knelt down near Aragorn and the man became conscious enough to grab onto the horse's mane and sort of get onto the horse. I went over and helped him sit up.

"Olympia?" Aragorn asked. "Yeah?" I replied. "How did you end up here?" he inquired. "Same way you did. I was fighting a warg that ran off a cliff, with me on its back." I answered, getting onto the horse behind Aragorn. "Let's go." I said as the horse began to ride to Helm's Deep. Aragorn slipped in and out of consciousness a few more times as we rode, but somehow stayed on the horse's back.

*Francesca's POV*

After Faramir's men dragged us away, we were blindfolded and led through the forest for a while. I heard the rushing sounds of a waterfall and struggled, kicked, and started yelling in Italian when one of the soldiers lifted me up and handed me over to one of his friends. I didn't actually hit them, but I'm pretty sure I pissed them off. The soldier put me down in what I'm assuming was a cave behind the waterfall. The stone floor was cold and I could still hear the falls roaring behind us. They led us into the cave somewhere and spun us around a few times, completely throwing off any sense of direction I had, not that I had any, before removing our blindfolds. My assumption was then confirmed. We were in a cave and we were behind the waterfall. Men were walking around everywhere with food, supplies and weapons. Sam, Frodo and I sat for a few minutes before Faramir appeared.

"My men tell me that you are orc spies." He said to us. "Spies? Now wait just a minute." Sam started. "Well, if you're not spies, then who are you?" Faramir interrupted, sitting down nearby. Sam looked at Frodo and I glared at Faramir. "Speak." He told us. _Woof. Do I look like a dog to you? _I thought.

"We are hobbits of the Shire. Frodo Baggins is my name, and this is Francesca Adams and Samwise Gamgee." Frodo responded. "Your bodyguard?" Faramir asked. "His gardener." Sam answered. "And where is your skulking friend? That gangrel creature. He had an ill-favored look." Faramir continued.

"There was no other. We set out from Rivendell with seven companions, along the way four others joined us. One we lost in Moria. Two were my kin. A dwarf there was also, and three elves, a woman and two men. Aragorn son of Arathorn, and Boromir of Gondor." Frodo replied. Faramir swallowed. "You're a friend of Boromir?" he asked. "Yes. For my part." Frodo said. I nodded. "It will grieve you then, to learn that he is dead." Faramir stated, standing up. "Dead? How? When?" Frodo asked, looking sad. I bit my lip.

"As one of his companions, I'd hoped you would tell me." Faramir replied. "If something has happened to Boromir, we would have you tell us." Frodo said. "His horn washed up on the riverbank, about six days past. It was cloven in two. But more than this, I know it in my heart. He was my brother." Faramir told us. He looked like he was about to cry.

After that meeting, Sam, Frodo and I went to the back of the cave, curled up, and fell asleep.

~~~~~meep~~~~~meep~~~~~meep~~~~~

Later that night, I woke up to find Frodo and Sam sitting on the floor where we fell asleep. I sat up and listened to Frodo and Sam talking.

"We have to get out of here. You go, go now. You can do it. Use the Ring, Mr. Frodo. Just this once. Put it on. Disappear." Sam whispered to Frodo. "I can't. You were right, Sam. You tried to tell me but…I'm sorry. The Ring's taking me, Sam. If I put it on, he'll find me. He'll see." Frodo answered. Sam put a hand on Frodo's shoulder. "Mr. Frodo." He said. Suddenly, Faramir came in and drew his sword. Sam, Frodo and I scrambled to our feet. My hand went to the handle of my sword. Faramir advanced on Frodo and held his sword at Frodo's chest, the chain of the Ring wrapped around the sword's point.

"So, this is the answer to all the riddles. Here in the wild I have you. Three Halflings, and a host of men at my call. The Ring of Power within my grasp. A chance for Faramir, captain of Gondor, to show his quality." Faramir said, looking like he was in a trance. "No!" Frodo shouted, pushing Faramir's sword away and moving to a corner of the cave. I turned back to Faramir and glared at him.

"Stop it! Leave him alone. Don't you understand? He's got to destroy it! That's where we're going, into Mordor. To the Mountain of Fire!" Sam yelled. Suddenly one of Faramir's soldiers came in and started talking to Faramir. "Osgiliath is under attack. They call for reinforcements." The soldier whispered. "Please, it's such a burden. Will you not help him?" Sam pleaded. I stopped glaring at the blonde man in front of me to see that he looked conflicted. Faramir turned to the soldier.

"Prepare to leave." Faramir whispered, he then turned to Sam and said in a louder voice, "The Ring will go to Gondor." Sam looked shocked. I wasn't surprised at all. I swore under my breath and silently fumed as we prepared to leave for Gondor.

*Olympia's POV*

We continued to ride throughout the night. By this point Aragorn was fully conscious. Sometime early the next day we rode up to the top of the hill. I was still riding behind Aragron but I didn't need to see his face to know that he looked absolutely horrified by what we saw. Some ten thousand Uruk Hai were marching in the direction of Helm's Deep. I swallowed hard. In truth I was terrified of the battle that was to come.

"How many are there?" Aragorn whispered to me. "Ten thousand." I whispered back. "Ten thousand?" Aragorn asked in disbelief. "At least. This sucks." I answered grimly. Aragorn steered the horse around and we galloped towards Helm's Deep. It took all night and a good part of the next morning to get there. We stopped at the top of a hill in front of the fortress. "Mae carnen, Brego, mellon nîn." Aragorn whispered to the horse, whose name is apparently Brego.

I grinned as we rode into Helm's Deep, through the crowds. Everyone began whispering among themselves. Aragorn brought Brego to a stop when he saw that the crowd was too big and that we couldn't ride anymore. We both dismounted Brego. Then I heard a very familiar voice and grinned even more.

"Where are they? Where are they? Get out of the way! I'm going to kill them!" Gimli yelled as he pushed through the crowd to us. He stopped when he reached us and faced Aragorn. "You are the luckiest, the canniest, and the most reckless man I ever knew! Bless you laddie!" Gimli said and hugged Aragorn. I laughed. "And you! You are the luckiest, canniest and most reckless lass I have ever known!" Gimli repeated and gave me a hug as well. I laughed and hugged him.

"Gimli, where is the king?" Aragorn asked after Gimli let me go. Gimli pointed him in the right direction. "Gimli, where's Kate?" I asked. Gimli searched the crowd for a minute trying to find her, but I saw her first. I patted my friend's shoulder and ran through the crowd towards a familiar head of dark brown hair. She was leaning against a wall staring into space. I tackle-hugged her.

"You're alive!" Kate shrieked and hugged me tightly. "Kate you're choking me." I choked out. "Sorry. I-I thought you were dead! I found four inches of your hair on the battlefield. That orc bastard said you were gone." She rambled. "He grabbed my hair and tried to drag me off the warg, I had to cut the hair to get him off. You believed him?" I asked. She Gibbs slapped me and let up a little on the hug so she wasn't strangling me anymore. Some things never change. "Yes, I did. But it's okay because you're safe." Kate squeezed me tighter for a moment before letting me go. "Come on, we've got to see the king." Kate told me and started dragging me towards the Great Hall. "I thought Aragorn was going to do that." I whined. "He is. We just have to be there. And Legolas needs to know you're okay. You wouldn't believe how upset he is. He. Needs. To. Know. You're. Alive." Kate answered. "Done. Lead the way." I told her.

Kate pulled me through to crowd, stopping briefly to let Eowyn know I was alive. She hugged me and mumbled into my shoulder about how worried she had been about both me and Aragorn. I hugged her back before Kate dragged me into the Great Hall where Theoden, a few of Theoden's soldiers, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli were. Legolas had a look of complete shock on his face and I smiled at him. I pried my wrist free of Kate's grasp as Theoden and Aragorn spoke.

"A great host you say?" Theoden asked. "All Isengard has been emptied." Aragorn confirmed. I nodded solemnly when the King looked over at me. "How many?" King Theoden continued. "Ten thousand strong at least." Aragorn told him. "Ten thousand?" Theoden asked. "It is an army bred for a single purpose; to destroy the world of men. They will be here by nightfall." Aragorn continued. "Let them come!" Theoden stated, determination evident in his tone. We followed the King outside.

"I want every man and strong lad able to bear arms, to be ready for battle by nightfall." Theoden said to one of his men. He led us out of Helm's Deep to the gate. "We will cover the causeway and the gate from above. No army has ever breached the Deeping Wall…or set foot inside the Hornbug!" King Theoden explained.

"This is no rabble of mindless orcs. These are Uruk Hai. Their armor is thick and their shields broad." Gimli stated. _Have a little faith Gimli._ I thought. Theoden walked over to Gimli. "I have fought many wars, Master Dwarf. I know how to defend my own keep." He said. Theoden walked past him and we went back into Helm's Deep.

"They will break upon this fortress like water on rock. Saruman's hordes will pillage and burn. We've seen it before. Crops can be resown...homes rebuilt. Within these walls...we will outlast them." King Theoden told us as we walked along the walls. "They do not come to destroy Rohan's crops or villages. They come to destroy its people! Down to the last child!" Aragorn countered. Theoden turned around and took Aragorn by the arm. "What would you have me do? Look at my men. Their courage hangs by a thread. If this is to be our end, then I will have them make such an end, as to be worthy of remembrance." Theoden whispered to Aragorn. _So he'd have them go out blaze of glory style._ I thought.

"Send out riders my lord. You must call for aid!" Aragorn replied. "And who will come? Elves? Dwarves? We are not so lucky in our friends as you. The old alliances are dead." Theoden responded, nodding towards Gimli, Kate, Legolas and I to prove his point. _As a matter of fact, elves are going to come. You just watch. As I've said before, have a little faith! _ I am almost certain my eye started twitching when he said this. "Gondor will answer." Aragorn said almost immediately. "Gondor?! Where was Gondor when the Westfold fell?! Where was Gondor when our enemies closed in around us?! Where was Gon-?" Theoden all but yelled. "No, my lord Aragorn. We are alone. Get the women and children into the caves." Theoden said that last part to one of the nearby soldiers as they walked away.

I immediately turned to Legolas and smiled. Not a split second later, he wrapped me in a bone-crushing hug. I put my arms around his neck and hugged him back and we stood like that for a moment. "I thought I had lost you." Legolas murmured into my hair. I squeezed him tighter, not knowing what to say. "Meep." I mumbled. I couldn't see Legolas's face but I knew he was smiling now. Legolas pulled back to look at me. I grinned at him and he chuckled. Legolas then put one hand on my cheek and gently pressed our lips together. As I kissed him back, I felt myself blushing at the realization that I was kissing Legolas in full view of at least half of Helm's Deep. Eventually, my lungs started screaming at me for air and Legolas and I pulled away from each other.

"I love you, Legolas." I murmured. "I love you as well Olympia." He whispered back. I smiled. "Are you injured at all?" Legolas asked with a concerned look on his face. "Nothing serious. Or that would stop me from defending Helm's Deep." I answered. Legolas immediately looked me up and down for injuries. He raised an eyebrow at me when he came across the cut across my left shoulder and opened his mouth to say something. "It hurts but I'll be fine." I told him. "You should get this bandaged." Legolas said. "Okay." I sighed.

Legolas took my good arm and pulled me to one of the healers at Helm's Deep. The woman quickly cleaned and bandaged my arm. After she let me go, I went to go find Kate and help prepare for the battle that would come at nightfall, trying not to have a panic attack. I found Kate among the masses of people at Helm's Deep and we started looking for Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli.

"The battle is going to be tonight. The Elves are going to get here soon enough. I think you already know what I'm going to ask." I whispered quietly so only Kate would hear me. Kate nodded. "Whoever gets the chance will do it. Okay?" Kate whispered back, knowing full well what I was talking about. "What happens on the hilariously unlikely chance that both of us get the opportunity?" I asked. "Then that particular orc is so extremely screwed that it's not even funny." Kate answered. I nodded and smirked.

*Natalie's POV*

I had absolutely no idea where Treebeard was leading us, but Merry, Pippin and I were still riding in Treebeard's branches a good while after we saw Isengard. I knew that we were going to the Entmoot, but I didn't remember where exactly that was. It's hard to keep track of distance in a huge forest like this.

"We Ents have not troubled, about the wars of Men and Wizards, for a very long time. But now, something is about to happen, that has not happened, for an age. Entmoot." Treebeard told us as he walked into a clearing in the forest. "What's that?" Merry asked. "'Tis a gathering." Treebeard answered. "A gathering of what?" Merry continued.

"A gathering of Ents." I told Merry as a whole bunch of other Ents walked out of the forest and into the clearing. "Beech, Oak, Chesnut, Ash. Good, good, good. Many have come. Now we must decide, if the ents will go to war." Treebeard said as the Ents stared at Merry, Pippin and I. Upon hearing Treebeard's reply, Merry and I grinned. Merry because he now had hope and me because, well even though I knew the Ents wouldn't want to go to war, I also knew Merry would convince them. I planned on helping with that. I was already writing a speech in my head as Treebeard put us down and started talking to the other Ents in Old Entish.

**Author's note: Yeah, okay. More fluffiness. I know. Meh. Oh! We didn't die today! WOOT! Anywhatsitz, I know I've said it before but…This is Meepalicious wishing all my readers and their families a very happy, healthy and safe holidays! READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	29. Chapter 29

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT I REFERENCE! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES RESPECTIVELY! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS! **

Chapter Twenty Nine

Olympia's POV

Kate and I found Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn walking through the crowds of people going into the caves. Aragorn was explaining a battle strategy when we found them.

"We'll place the reserves along the wall. They can support the archers from above the gate." Aragorn stated, gesturing up to the walls as he did. "Aragorn you must rest. You're no use to us half alive." Legolas argued quietly. Suddenly I heard Eowyn's voice and turned to see her rushing towards Aragorn.

"Aragorn! I'm to be sent with the women into the caves." She told him. "That is an honorable charge." Aragorn responded. "To mind the children, to find food and bedding when the men return. What renown is there in that?" Eowyn countered. "My Lady, a time may come for valor without renown. Who then will your people look to in the last defense?" Aragorn asked. "Let me stand at your side." Eowyn pleaded. "It is not in my power to command it." Aragorn told her, then turned to walk away.

"You do not command the others to stay!" Eowyn snapped. Aragorn turned back to look at her and I raised an eyebrow. "They fight beside you because they would not be parted from you; because they love you." Eowyn continued. She and Aragorn stared at each other for a while. "I'm sorry." Eowyn finally said. She then pushed past the rest of us and walked off into the caves. Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli, Kate and I made our way to the armory, where weapons were being passed out to any man or young boy who could fight. I watched as men well into their sixties, trained soldiers, and boys barely twelve all prepared for battle. Aragorn put down a sword he had been looking at and wove through the people towards us.

"Farmers, farriers, stable boys. These are no soldiers." He stated with a small shake of his head. "Most have seen too many winters." Gimli commented. "Or too few." Legolas added. "Look at them. They're frightened. I can see it in their eyes." He continued. Every man within earshot stopped whatever he was doing, turned, and stared at Legolas, who promptly switched into elvish.

"Boe a hyn, neled herain dan caer menig!" Legolas exclaimed. "Si beriathar hyn ammaeg na ned Edoras." Aragorn replied. I was lost, completely and utterly lost. I just stood there awkwardly, not having even the slightest clue of what was being said. "Aragorn, nedin dagor hen ú 'erir otheri. Natha daged dhaer!" Legolas shot back. "Then I shall die as one of them!" Aragorn yelled, then walked off somewhere. Legolas went to follow him but Gimli stopped him. "Let him go lad. Let him be." He advised.

I took some of the weapons that hadn't been handed out yet, gave a couple to Kate, and started helping people get ready for the battle. I handed a sword to a young boy who looked to be in his early teens. I'd say thirteen or so. He had blonde-ish hair that came just past his shoulders and brown eyes that looked absolutely terrified. He was almost chin height to me, which made me feel very short. He looked a bit like my cousin Jason, Rachel's brother.

"Is something the matter?" I asked. The boy looked up to me. For a second he looked shocked. "You are one of the elves who arrived with Gandalf." He stated. "Yes. I am." I nodded. "Are you fighting this night?" The boy asked in a whisper. "Yes. You look positively terrified. What's wrong?" I asked. "My lady, the men say this fight is hopeless and that we will all meet our deaths this night." The boy's voice cracked. I took a deep breath. "What is your name?" I asked him. "Cellyn, son of Rhaemyn, my lady." He replied. "Cellyn. First off I am going to ask that you not call me 'my lady'. My name is Olympia, please call me Olympia. Second, everything is going to be alright. I know the odds are not in our favor, but we need to have faith that not everyone will perish tonight. Everything is going to be okay and someday, many years from now when this war is over, there will be stories told about this." I told him.

Cellyn looked up at me. "How can you be so certain?" he inquired. I let out a shaky breath, trying to control my own nerves. "I'm not. But I have hope." I answered. "I do not wish to die. I must defend Rohan and my people, but I fear death." Cellyn admitted. "Cellyn, you are not going to die. Do you want to know why?" I looked right at him. "Why?" he asked. "Because I'm going to watch out for you and that's why. You have your whole life ahead of you." I told him. Cellyn nodded. "Now, I must go get ready for battle myself. But remember that I'll make sure you'll be okay. And have a little faith." I smiled at the young boy and went to go find Kate and have her help me with some armor and chainmail and whatnot.

*Natalie's POV*

Hours and hours later, the sun had set, Pippin had fallen asleep, Merry had resorted to pacing back and forth and the Ents were still talking. I sat leaning against a nearby tree, watching Merry pace. _This is going to take a while. _I thought.

"Merry, you're going to wear a rut in the dirt if you keep that up." I told him. "It's been going for hours." Merry commented. "They must have decided something by now." Pippin added, standing up. "I wouldn't be so sure." I mumbled.

"Decided? We only just finished saying, good morning." Treebeard stated. "But it's nighttime already. You can't take forever." Merry protested. "Don't be hasty." Treebeard told him. "We're running out of time!" Merry yelled. "We can't afford not to be a somewhat hasty!" I added. Merry slumped down next to me by the tree.

"Our friends are out there fighting an epic battle, the odds of which are definitely against them, and these guys take all day to say 'Good morning'. What are we going to do?" I asked quietly. "I don't know. We need to do something!" Merry answered. "Damn straight we need to do something. We're going to do something. What we're going to do or how it is going to get done, however, is still a mystery to me." I told him. He nodded determinedly and I could almost see the gears turning in the hobbit's head as he tried to come up with a plan. I watched the Ents talk for a while before falling asleep myself.

*Olympia's POV*

I found my sister and we grabbed some chainmail and light-ish armor. I knew I wouldn't be able to do much Ju Jitsu if I were decked out in a ton of armor, but Kate, Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn would all have heart failure if I went into battle without any armor. Besides, I'm not _that _crazy. With our armor in tow, Kate and I went into a separate room and between the two of us, somehow figured out how to put it all on. Once that was done, Kate and I did some random Ju Jitsu techniques to see how well we could move in the armor.

"Alright, hair. We need to do something with it. It just needs to happen." Kate told me. "Ya think? I don't want to have to chop off anymore if some McNasty grabs it." I commented. Kate half-chuckled half-snorted at me and rolled her eyes. I grabbed Kate's brush and a handful of leather strips. "You first." I stated and started brushing out my sister's hair.

She nodded and sat cross-legged on the floor and I quickly pulled her hair back into a series of tight, secure braids. Two Dutch lace braids ran along the sides of her head and then joined into a small braid. I then took that small braid with the rest of her hair and braided that all into one braid that reached her waist. When Kate felt around her head to see what I did, she smiled. This hairstyle had been one of Kate's own design. She'd done it to me once. My hair had successfully made it through school, Winter Guard practice and then about 3 hours of Just Dance 2 with Germany and Francey Pants. I'm just going to say that my sister is brilliant. Kate took the brush from me and did the same thing to my hair. As she finished up, we heard a horn blowing loud and clear outside.

"In the words of your boyfriend, 'That is no orc horn!'" Kate grinned and pulled me to my feet. "On any other day, I'd Gibbs slap you for that boyfriend comment. But today I'd rather race you to the gate." I stated simply, then bolted outside, Kate hot on my heels, to see Haldir and an army of Elves arriving at Helm's Deep. I skidded to a stop and watched Haldir talking to King Theoden.

"I bring word from Elrond of Rivendell. An alliance once existed between Elves and Men. Long ago we fought, and died, together. We come to honor that allegiance." Haldir explained. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli came running outside. Kate and I joined them and we all walked down the stairs to meet Haldir.

"Mae govannen Haldir." Aragorn smiled. Haldir bowed slightly and Aragorn bowed back and promptly hugged the elf. Haldir's expression of shock was priceless as he awkwardly hugged Aragorn for a second. "You are most welcome." Aragorn told him after they separated. Legolas walked forward and he and Haldir clasped each other's shoulders. In the background, the army of elves turned to face him and stood at attention. For a moment I was confused and glanced at Kate, who rolled her eyes. I mentally face-palmed; suddenly remembering that Legolas is the Prince of Mirkwood and that was the reason for the army of Elves more of less saluting him. Kate and I both smiled and waved at Haldir, who smiled back at us before turning back to King Theoden. "We are proud to fight alongside men once more." Haldir told the King.

Not long after the elves came, we were all armed and lined up on the walls waiting for the Uruk Hai. I was standing with Legolas, Gimli, Kate and all the other elves. I turned to look back at King Theoden's soldiers. It took me a little bit, but I managed to pick Cellyn out of the crowd and store into my memory what he looked like seeing as I had every intention of making sure he survived the night and lived the many long years that were ahead of him. I saw Haldir among the elves and made a mental note to watch him too.

"Olympia. You can't save everyone. It's not physically possible." Kate whispered to me. I shot her a questioning look. "I overheard you talking to that Cellyn kid and while I know you'll be able to watch him and take care of yourself, I'm not sure you can watch him _and_ Haldir _and_ take care of yourself." She explained. "I can sure as hell try. I'll be watching you too Kate." I nudged my sister with my elbow. "I don't need watching. If anything, I'll be watching you." Kate replied. I smiled up at her and was grateful that I had a sister who had always watched out for me.

"You could have picked a better spot." Gimli commented to Legolas as he stood on his toes to try and see over the walls. I chuckled and Gimli shot me a look that I interpreted as 'Don't you dare make a short joke.' I handed my bow to Kate for a second in order to hold my hands up in a sign of surrender, causing Gimli to roll his eyes and grin to himself. Aragorn came up behind us and stood between Legolas and Gimli. "Well lad, whatever luck you live by, let's hope it lasts the night." Gimli told Aragorn. Suddenly, there was a loud clap of thunder and lightning lit up the sky. I jumped.

"Your friends are with you Aragorn." Legolas said. "Let's hope they last the night." Gimli commented. Thunder rolled in the sky again and it started pouring. I flinched at the thunder. Lighting split the sky every few seconds and thunder rumbled almost constantly as we watched the army of Uruk Hai approach Helm's Deep. They stopped and one of the Uruk Hai stood up on a nearby rock.

Gimli hopped up and down trying to see over the wall. "What's happening out there?" he asked. "Shall I describe it to you? Or would you like me to find you a box?" Legolas smirked and looked down at Gimli. I smirked, Kate tried to pass of her laughing fit as a cough and Gimli chuckled after glaring at Legolas for a second.

The army of Uruk Hai started to shout and pound the ground with their spears, generally making a lot of noise. King Theoden's archers prepared to fire at the Uruk Hai army, which had continued to make noise. Out of the corner of my eye I saw an elderly man loose his grip on his arrow, shooting an Uruk Hai in the neck. My heart pounded as the other Uruk Hai growled ferociously and began running towards Helm's Deep.

I heard Aragorn yell something in elvish and the elves around me all prepared to fire. I followed their lead and knocked an arrow into my bow, picking a random Uruk Hai and aiming at it. Legolas said something in elvish to the elves around him and Aragorn gave to command to fire. I let loose my arrow and watched as it struck its target and the Uruk Hai fell dead, along with many others that had been shot.

"Did they hit anything?" Gimli asked Legolas. I pretended to look offended. "Do you honestly think they didn't hit anything?" Kate asked. "Fire!" one of King Theoden's soldiers yelled. I rolled my eyes and continued shooting arrows in rapid fire succession. "Send them to me! Come on!" Gimli shouted as arrows continued to rain down on the Uruk Hai. It was then that some of the Uruk Hai pulled out crossbows and started to shoot up at us. I ducked and an arrow whistled over my head. I got up and resumed firing my own arrows as the Uruk Hai began to set ladders against the wall. "Good!" Gimli shouted as he noticed this.

"Swords! Swords!" Aragorn shouted. I put my bow on my back and unsheathed my fighting knives as the other elves pulled out their swords. Soon, the Uruk Hai were at the tops of the ladders. I took a fighting stance and started bouncing on the balls of my feet. One of the Uruk Hai jumped off the ladder and slashed his sword thing down at me. I moved to the side and sliced his head off. _That makes eighteen! _I thought. Yeah, I started counting this time. I spun around just in time to block a strike to the head from another Uruk Hai. I pushed his sword away from me and tried to stab him in the throat. He blocked my strike and swung at my head. I ducked and swept his legs out from under him. I jumped back up to my feet and stabbed him in the throat before he hit the ground.

"Legolas! Two already!" I heard Gimli yell. "I'm on seventeen!" Legolas replied with a grin. "Nineteen!"I shouted. "I'll have no pointy-ear outscoring me!" Gimli yelled. I pulled out my bow again and fired two arrows at Uruk Hai climbing up the ladders. "Nineteen!" Legolas yelled. "Twenty-one!" I called as I fired another arrow.

I put my bow on my back again and roundhouse kicked an Uruk Hai in the jaw. I took out my knives as the Uruk Hai ran at me. With one hand he swung his sword at my gut. I ducked the sword, then kicked his hand, causing him to drop the sword. The Uruk Hai growled at me and I slit his throat. I spun around and fought anything that got within my striking range, ducking, bobbing and weaving my way through the hordes of Uruk Hai.

*Natalie's POV*

After what felt like forever, but was probably only a few hours, Treebeard turned away from the Entmoot to talk to Merry, Pippin and I. Pippin waved for us when he did. "Natalie, Merry." He called and we all walked toward the Ent, waiting to hear what he had to say.

"We have just agreed." Treebeard told us. Merry, Pippin and I all looked at each other, then back at Treebeard. "Yes?" Merry asked, his eyebrows raised. "I have told your names to the Entmoot, and we have agreed that you are not orcs." Treebeard explained. I face-palmed.

"Well, that's good news." Pippin stated. I lifted my face out of my palm and raised an eyebrow at him. "And what about Saruman? Have you come to a decision about him?" Merry asked. "Now, don't be hasty Master Meriadoc." Treebeard told him.

"Hasty? Our friends are out there. And they need our help. They cannot fight this war on their own." Merry argued, pointing out towards where I knew many of our friends would be fighting at Helm's Deep. "War? Yes. It affects us all. Tree, root and twig. But you must understand young hobbit….it takes a long time to say anything, in Old Entish. And we never say anything, unless it is worth taking….a long time to say." Treebeard explained. Merry sighed. I face-palmed again and sat down. _All this sitting around and doing nothing is going to drive me insane! _I thought.

**Author's note: Ta-da! I'm back! I'm sorry it took me so long to update! Holidays, you know. Also, I couldn't get on my computer because I was sick for a while. Really sick. Like, couldn't-get-out-of-bed-for-days-and-my-mom-had-me-on-all-sorts-of-meds sick. But I'm better now! READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	30. Chapter 30

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTHING THAT I REFERENCE! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES RESPECTIVELY! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS! **

Chapter Thirty

Olympia's POV

After slicing off another Uruk Hai's head, I glanced back to Cellyn, whom I had found and had been fighting back to back with. He was locked in a sword battle with a huge Uruk Hai and was completely oblivious to the one that was sneaking up on him. _Oh hell no. _I thought as I pulled an arrow out of my quiver and knocked it into my bow.

"Cellyn! Duck!" I yelled. Cellyn had finally gained the upper hand over the Uruk Hai he was fighting and spun around to look at me after he pulled his sword out of the McNasty's gut. "Duck!" I repeated. Cellyn hit the floor just in time. The Uruk Hai had swung his sword a split second after Cellyn's head was out of his range. I released my arrow and the Uruk Hai fell dead. Cellyn jumped back up and looked at me, wide eyed. I nodded and we continued fighting.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw an Uruk Hai, with two arrows in his shoulders, running towards the wall with a torch in his hand._ Ah shit. _I thought as the Uruk Hai dove into the drain at the bottom of the wall. I grabbed Cellyn's arm and yanked him to the ground as a section of the wall far too close for comfort, exploded. Debris went flying in all directions and I shielded my head with my arms.

"Olympia! Are you alright?" I heard Kate's voice yelling from somewhere not too far off. I looked up and saw her on the opposite side of the wall. I nodded, jumped up and continued fighting. Somehow I found myself back to back with Kate and Cellyn. On the ground, I saw a swarm of Uruk Hai coming through the gap in the wall and knew we were needed more down there than up here.

"Kate! Cellyn! They need us on the ground!" I yelled and started running towards the stairs. However, I was beaten to the stairs by Legolas, who promptly picked up a shield and slid down the stairs on it while firing arrows at the Uruk Hai on the ground. "Oh you freaking show off!" I yelled to him, barely that noticing Kate and Cellyn had caught up to me. I looked around frantically for another way to get down, then got a brilliantly stupid idea. I ran along the edge of the wall to where the gap was and jumped. I did a forward roll as I landed on the ground, hopped back up in a fighting stance, and proceeded to stab the nearest Uruk hai in the throat. Kate landed beside me a second later and Cellyn came running down the stairs not long after that.

"You're insane!" Kate yelled over the battle. "I know!" I shouted back. _So are you, you jumped too! _I added mentally as I tried to fight my way towards Cellyn, who was on the brink of being overwhelmed by a group of about seven Uruk Hai who all decided to gang up on the poor kid. There were too many Uruk Hai in my way, I couldn't get to him. He killed three of the Uruk Hai, but they had backed him up to the wall. My attention was painfully torn away from the sight when an Uruk Hai slashed his sword across my shoulder, tearing through the bandages and re-opening part of the wound that was already there. I hissed and spun around to glare at the Uruk Hai. He swung his sword thing at me again and I ducked, stepped around him and cut off his head from behind.

Over the sounds of clashing metal and shouting, my ears picked up a soft groan of pain. I whirled around towards where the noise had come from. I saw Cellyn, clutching his ribs with one hand and trying to fend off an Uruk Hai with his sword. I watched as a dagger suddenly appeared in the Uruk Hai's throat and looked to see Kate glaring at the, now dead, Uruk Hai. I ran over to Cellyn.

"What happened?" I asked. "I was stabbed." Cellyn replied. I cursed under my breath. "I can fight yet, Lady Olympia." Cellyn assured me. I smiled a bit and helped him get back to his feet.

*Natalie's POV*

I don't think I slept long. The Ents were still talking when I woke up, but that couldn't have meant much. I sat for a minute, trying to forget the dream I had. It was about the day Boromir was killed. I hadn't had nightmares like that since before we met Treebeard. I still missed Boromir so much it hurt. I shook the dream from my head and walked over to Merry and Pippin. Somehow, the Ents had stopped talking in the last minute and Treebeard now turned to us.

"The Ents cannot hold back this storm. We must weather such things as we have always done." Treebeard stated. I opened my mouth to comment, but Merry beat me to it. "How can that be your decision?!" he asked. "Our friends who are out there fighting can't hold back this storm either! At least not on their own. They need us; we have to help them! You have to help us help them! Please!" I nearly yelled. "This is not our war." Treebeard told us. I face-palmed. "But you're part of this world! Aren't you?" Merry retorted. The Ents started to look around, unsure of how to answer that. "You must help. Please. You must do something." Merry addressed all of the Ents now.

"You are young and brave Master Meriadoc and Miss Natalie. But your part in this tale is over. Go back to your home." Treebeard said and left us to prepare to leave. I sat down by the tree and waited for the hobbits, lost in thought. _I don't know if I __can__ get back to my home. And even if I could, I probably wouldn't. I'm too attached to this world now. I'd stick with my friends, wherever they went. I know Kate and Olympia would decide to stay here in a heartbeat. Francesca probably would too. I wonder where we'll all go when this is done. I don't think Aragorn would be extremely opposed to me living in Gondor. Francesca would go to the Shire and be with the hobbits. I'd be willing to bet that Olympia would go to Mirkwood. I want to see that. I really want to see that. Kate would most likely go with Olympia. They'd stick together. _I thought as the hobbits prepared to leave. I knew they had been talking, but I didn't know what it was about.

*Olympia's POV*

After Cellyn was hurt, I made him stay close to Kate and I. By some miracle he was still able to fight. But I worried about him, as I tend to do when people I know get hurt. By this point, my mind all but turned off as I fought. Over all the shouting I heard King Theoden yelling to Aragorn.

"Aragorn! Fall back to the Keep! Get your men out of there!" he shouted. Aragorn relayed this message in elvish and we began to retreat. I heard him call for Haldir and my eyes widened. If I was going to do something, now would be the time. I glanced at Kate, silently asking her to take care of Cellyn. Kate nodded and Cellyn looked confused. I ran towards the nearest flight of stairs and climbed up; fortunately I could see Haldir from that spot. I crouched down and drew my bow and an arrow. Haldir yelled something in elvish and turned around, only to be stabbed in the gut by an Uruk. I drew back my bowstring as Haldir killed the Uruk Hai and turned around. I could clearly see the Uruk Hai behind him and took the shot without a second thought. I then put my bow on my back again and ran towards Haldir. Haldir had turned around and looked at the Uruk Hai, an expression of shock on his face.

"Are you alright?" I asked as I reached him. "You saved my life." He stated, having completely forgotten about the stab wound in his stomach for the moment. "You were in trouble. I saw the opportunity to help, so I did." I answered. "Thank you." Haldir replied. "No problem. Now come on, we have to get out of here." I said as we continued fighting. I didn't see Kate or Cellyn, so I assumed Kate got him into the Keep. Well, more like I hoped and prayed Kate got him into the Keep. I spun around, blocking a strike that had been aimed at me. Looking up, I came face-to-face with Legolas. I flashed him a grin, ducked under his arm and we fought back to back.

"Counting that one, thirty-five." I told Legolas as I pulled my knife out of an Uruk Hai's throat. "Thirty-three." Legolas replied. _Holy shit! I'm winning! How about that! _I side kicked a random Uruk Hai, who stumbled backwards. Before he got the chance to charge at me again, he was decapitated from behind by none other than Haldir. I nodded at Haldir and continued to fight.

Soon I noticed that the Uruk Hai on the ground were hoisting up more ladders and swore loudly. Legolas noticed the ladders, drew an arrow and fired it at the ropes supporting one of the ladders that had yet to land on the wall. The ladder fell to the ground, crushing the Uruks on the ladder and those directly under the ladder.

"That only counts as one!" I yelled. If Legolas heard me, he didn't acknowledge what I had said, seeing as Aragorn and Gimli were on the ground being held in a headlock by an Uruk Hai. Legolas grabbed a random rope, yelled to Aragorn and threw the rope down to them. Aragorn grabbed the rope with one hand and held on to Gimli with the other arm. I ran over, grabbed the rope and helped Legolas pull Aragorn and Gimli up, trying to ignore the screaming protests of my injured shoulder. Once they were up, we heard someone shouting for a retreat and, after much shouting, rushed into the Keep. _Please let Kate and Cellyn be alright. Please let Kate and Cellyn be alright. _I repeated over and over in my head.

*Natalie's POV*

Merry, Pippin and I were, once again, riding up in Treebeard's branches. Supposedly, Treebeard was taking us to a place where we could head towards the Shire from. But I knew that wasn't going to happen. My hobbit buddies looked upset.

"I will leave you at the western borders of the forest. You can make your way north to your homeland from there." Treebeard told us as we went. And then Pippin had his genius idea. "Wait! Stop! Stop! Turn around. Turn around, take us south." Pippin all but yelled. "South? But that will lead you past Isengard." Treebeard countered. "Yes. Exactly. If we go south, we can slip past Saruman unnoticed. The closer we are to danger, the farther we are from harm. It's the last thing he'll expect." Pippin explained. Merry looked hopelessly confused and I smirked. "That doesn't make sense to me. But then…you are very small. Perhaps you're right. South it is then. Hold on little ones. I always like going south. Somehow it feels like going downhill." Treebeard mused as we started going south.

"Are you mad? We'll be caught." Merry hissed. "No we won't. Not this time." Pippin answered. "Well, yes. We are mad. But that's completely beside the point!" I added, smirking again. Merry rolled his eyes at me and Pippin gave me a questioning look.

*Francesca's POV*

Faramir and his men were leading Sam, Frodo, Gollum and I across wide open plains. They had Gollum on a rope. On another note, I'm beginning to like these guys less and less by the minute. No one spoke, which was just fine with me. I had nothing nice to say to Faramir anyway. At one point, we stopped on a small hill and saw the city of Osgiliath being fired on with catapults.

"Look! Osgiliath burns!" One of the soldiers exclaimed. "Mordor had come." Another said gravely. "The ring will not save Gondor." Frodo stated, tears in his huge blue eyes. I frowned just seeing my friend like that. He turned to Faramir. "It had only the power to destroy. Please, let me go." Frodo pleaded.

Faramir thought for a moment, then looked towards the burning city. "Hurry." He told us, rushing us towards Osgiliath. I cursed under my breath as we were pushed forward by some of the soldiers.

*Natalie's POV*

Treebeard was in the middle of a story about field mice when we reached the southern edges of Fangorn. He stopped mid sentence to look at the devastation that lay before us. There were burned tree stumps everywhere, the ground was charred and there was no sign of any plant life anywhere.

"Many of these trees were my friends. Creatures I had known from nut and acorn." Treebeard said sadly. "I'm sorry Treebeard." Pippin told him. "They had voices of their own." Treebeard continued, looking towards Isengard. Smoke rose from the pits around the black tower there. Treebeard was suddenly very much pissed. "Saruman. A wizard should know better!" Treebeard then let out a roar of rage. "There is no curse in elvish, entish, or the tongues of men for this treachery." Treebeard fumed.

Just then we heard the all too familiar groaning sound of the trees. I looked around to see a lot of trees come out of the forest and start making their way to Isengard. "Look! The trees! They're moving!" Pippin pointed out as he saw this. "Thank you Captain Obvious." I replied. "Where are they going?" Merry asked. "They have business with the orcs. My business is with Isengard tonight, with rock and stone." Treebeard answered.

I turned around on my branch to see more Ents coming out of the forest to help us raise hell in Isengard. "Yes!" Merry exclaimed. "Come my friends. The Ents are going to war. It is likely….that we go to our doom. The Last March…..of the Ents." Treebeard stated. And with that, we were off to Isengard. I grinned deviously and barely suppressed an evil laugh.

*Francesca's POV*

Upon walking into Osgiliath, we found that there were no orcs or other manner of McNasties actually inside the city and at the moment we were just having huge rocks catapulted at us. Some random soldiers rushed over to Faramir.

"Faramir! Orcs have taken the eastern shore. Their numbers are too great. By nightfall we will be overrun." One of them informed us. If there was any kind of conversation that came next, I missed it. Frodo stumbled and spaced out.

"Mr. Frodo?" Sam asked, wanting to know what was up. "It's calling to him, Sam. His eye is almost upon me." Frodo whispered. "Hold on, Mr. Frodo. You'll be alright." Sam replied. "It's going to be okay, Frodo. Just hold on." I encouraged, only half believing myself. I'm pretty sure Frodo didn't hear us, seeing as he didn't respond and spaced out again. I bit my lip, worried.

Faramir looked down at us, then back at the soldier he was talking to. "Take them to my father. Tell him Faramir sends a mighty gift; a weapon that will change our fortunes in this war." Faramir told the soldier, then started to walk away. The other soldiers took charge of us hobbits and I death glared Faramir. _Are you kidding me?! You've got to be shitting me! Anyway, you Faramir have just joined the ranks of the jackfucks._ I thought to myself.

"Do you want to know what happened to Boromir?" Sam shouted after Faramir. Obviously, Faramir wanted to know, so he turned around and walked towards Sam. "You want to know why your brother died? He tried to take the ring from Frodo, after swearing an oath to protect him! He tried to kill him! The ring drove your brother mad!" Sam yelled. Now if you've never seen Sam when he's yelling, it's not a pretty sight. An angry Sam has to be one of the more intimidating things I've seen in my days. Faramir didn't get the chance to reply.

"Watch out!" Someone shouted. A huge boulder crashed into a tower high above us and sent it crumbling down. Frodo's eyes glazed over and he swayed on his feet. To me, he looked possessed. It was a bit creepy. Speaking of creepy, Gollum had stayed quiet during this whole time. That in and of itself was a miracle.

"Mr. Frodo?" Sam asked. "They're here. They've come." Frodo answered. Faramir looked confused. Then there was the sound of huge wings beating and a high pitched, bone-chilling screech. "Nazgul!" Faramir shouted. "Hmm, you don't say." I whispered. The dragon beast thing that the Nazgul was riding let loose a fearsome roar and I shuddered. Frodo looked up at the Nazgul and Faramir dragged Frodo under cover. Sam and I followed. "Stay here. Keep out of sight." Faramir told us. "Take cover!" he shouted to the rest of his soldiers. I leaned against the wall near Sam, pulled the hood of my cloak over my head, and watched the skies.

**Author's note: Ta-da! For the record, 'jackfuck' is actually a phrase that Francesca actually uses. *gasp* Guess who recently got her hands on a copy of ****The Silmarillion****? Me! *happy dance* Yeah. I have nothing more to say for this chapter…READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	31. Chapter 31

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

** DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT I REFERENCE! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES RESPECTIVELY! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS! **

Chapter Thirty One

Olympia's POV

Words could not have expressed how relieved I was when I saw that Kate and Cellyn were safely inside the Keep. Cellyn's would had been very quickly bandaged up and he was still somehow alert and on his feet. _Maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought. _I thought as I rushed to my sister and gave her a quick hug before we grabbed a nearby bench and carried over to where the men were barricading the entrance against Uruk Hai with a battering ram.

"The fortress is taken. It is over." King Theoden stated grimly. "You said this fortress would never fall while your men defend it. They still defend it! They have died defending it!" Aragorn argued. The door shook as the battering ram crashed into it again. I glared intently at nothing in particular and pushed against the door.

"Is there no other way for the women and children to get out of the caves?" Aragorn asked. I heard the distinct sound of glass crashing to the floor and looked over my shoulder to see Legolas coming towards the door with a table. He, Kate and I barricaded the door with it and I continued to eavesdrop on Aragorn's conversation. "Is there no other way?" Aragorn insisted.

"There is one passage. It leads into the mountains. But they will not get far; the Uruk Hai are too many." One of King Theoden's men answered. Aragorn put his hand on the man's shoulder.

"Tell the women and children to make for the mountain pass. And barricade the entrance!" Aragorn told him and both went to go do that. King Theoden then spoke. He sounded a bit out of it.

"So much death. What can men do against such reckless hate?" Theoden asked. Another loud crash sounded and I was thrown back from the door by the force of how ever many Uruk Hai were battering ramming the door. I winced as hurt shoulder decided to protest the movement. At least it wasn't bleeding, again.

"Ride out with me. Ride out and meet them." Aragorn answered. "For death and glory." Theoden stated. "For Rohan; for your people." Aragorn replied. The sun shone through a window in the Golden Hall and I looked at it for a moment. We had lasted the night; the worst of it was over. I smiled to myself.

"The sun is rising." Gimli commented. "No. Really?" Kate muttered under her breath. I smirked. "Yes. Yes. The Horn of Helm Hammerhand shall sound in the deep, one last time." King Theoden said. His newly re-kindled hope was evident in his tone. Gimli ran off to sound the horn and King Theoden walked over to Aragorn and put a hand on his shoulder. "Let this be the hour when we draw swords together." He told Aragorn.

Within minutes every horse that could be found and every soldier that could be spared to ride was assembled in the Golden Hall. Kate was mounted on her horse Braylla, her sword already drawn and in her hand. Holding Arya's reins in one hand and a borrowed sword in the other, I was practically bouncing up and down in the saddle for two reasons. One was a combination of anticipation and adrenaline, the other was nervousness because I didn't know how to use a sword very well. _Well, if I use it like one of my knives, I should be alright. _I thought. 

The Horn of Helm Hammerhand sounded loud and strong as King Theoden spoke again. "Fell deeds awake. Now for wrath. Now for ruin. And a red dawn! Forth Eorlingas!" he shouted and we rode forward into the mass of Uruk Hai that had broken down the doors. We galloped through the streets of Helm's Deep, cutting down any and all Uruk Hai in our way.

Just after yanking my borrowed sword from an Uruk Hai's chest, a white light caught my attention. I looked to the east to see Gandalf, mounted on Shadowfax, at the top of a nearby hill. Éomer soon came up beside him and shouted "Rohirrim!" Every Rider of Rohan that had tried to kill me, Aragorn, Kate, Legolas and Gimli when we first came to Rohan rode up the hill to Éomer. All the Uruk Hai stopped fighting to watch. I would have been terrified if I were them, which thank god I'm not.

The Riders of Rohan, and Gandalf, came galloping down the hill they were on and many of the Uruk Hai turned to attack them. I took this as my cue to keep fighting and loped of the head of the nearest Uruk Hai and continued to fight, as did everyone else. I spared a glance over at my sister, who was knocking heads left, right and center with a psychotic smile on her face. I matched her insane smile with one of my own and turned back to the fight.

*Natalie's POV*

All hell broke loose when the Ents reached Isengard. They launched enormous boulders at the walls, knocking them down, and rushed into the place. I watched in amazement as the Ents literally stomped all over the orcs. I swear I saw one Ent actually drop-kick an orc. That right there was the highlight of that day. One of the Ents had been dragged to the ground by a rope around his neck and had orcs swarming all over him. Treebeard threw a boulder, killing the orcs.

Merry, Pippin and I all cheered and the hobbits started throwing rocks at the orcs and Uruk Hai. I snatched some rocks from the hobbits and began to chuck them down at the Uruk Hai, making faces at any who looked up to see what the hell just hit him in the face. I watched Pippin take aim at an orc standing at the edge of a large pit, then proceed to throw a rock at said orc, knocking him down into the pit.

"Ah! A hit. A fine hit." Treebeard commented. I saw Saruman rush to the balcony of his tower. I had a clear shot and toyed with the idea of throwing a rock at the evil wizard. I nudged Pippin and pointed to Saruman. "Should I?" I asked, gesturing to the rock in my hand. Pippin looked between me and the wizard for a moment then shook his head. "I'm going to anyway." I shrugged and launched my rock at the wizard. I cursed a blue streak when my rock fell about ten feet short of the wizard's head and hit the bottom of the balcony. I cursed again as I saw the orcs throw torches up at an Ent, successfully lighting him on fire.

"Break the dam! Release the river!" Treebeard shouted to some ents near the dam. And so they did and the river rushed from the dam and proceeded towards Isengard. "Pippin! Natalie! Hold on!" Merry yelled as the river approached us. "Hold on, little ones!" Treebeard yelled to us. The river flowed into Isengard, flooding it completely. The force of it nearly threw me off Treebeard's branches and I held on tight, grinning like an idiot.

*Francesca's POV*

The Nazgûl continued to fly overhead, screeching and Frodo got that strange possessed look about him again. He straightened up and started walking away from our little hiding spot. _What the hell?! _I thought. Sam caught sight of this too and walked towards Frodo.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked, obviously confused and worried. Frodo ignored him completely and walked right out into the chaos that had ensued when the Nazgûl showed his fugly face. "Where are you going?" Sam shouted to Frodo, who had made his way towards a nearby wall.

I watched, horrified, as Frodo stood on the edge of the wall and the Nazgûl and his dragon-beast thing hovered directly in front of the hobbit. Frodo looked up at the beast, took out the Ring and held it out to the Nazgûl.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" I yelled in Frodo's general direction. Sam and I ran from our hiding spot towards our friend, who was about to put the Ring on. When we reached Frodo, Sam tackled him to the ground. The Nazgûl was not happy about that and the dragon beast landed on the wall near us. I was terrified. Before I came to Middle Earth, I didn't get how someone could be paralyzed with fear. But in that moment, my mind shut down and I couldn't move. I understand now.

Suddenly, an arrow landed in the dragon-beast's neck and it flew off. I spared a quick glance in the direction the arrow had come from and nodded to Faramir before rolling and trying to get up. That failed miserably and I ended up tumbling down a flight of stairs just after Sam and Frodo. _Well shit. _I thought as I landed on the ground. I looked up and saw Frodo sitting on Sam, pinning him to the ground, and holding Sting at Sam's throat. _I will repeat; shit. _I thought as I quickly got to my feet and rushed over to them.

"It's me. It's your Sam. Don't you know your Sam?" Sam asked Frodo. The aforementioned hobbit's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as he got off Sam. Sting clattered to the ground and Frodo slumped down, sitting against a nearby wall. Sam sat up and I walked over to them and leaned against the wall Frodo was sitting by.

"I can't do this, Sam." Frodo stated, taking no notice of my presence. I sat down against the wall next to Frodo and put a hand on his shoulder. Sam got to his feet, tears in his eyes.

"I know. It's all wrong." Sam all but sobbed. I bit my lip and Sam walked over to a wall and looked out over the city. I stayed by Frodo. Gollum came up from out of nowhere and sat on Frodo's other side.

"By rights, we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in those great stories, Mr. Frodo; the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was, when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing….this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it'll shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you….the ones that meant something; even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories, had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going, because they were holding on to something." Sam continued. This speech was the most amazing thing ever. I was crying by the time Sam was done.

"What are we holding onto, Sam?" Frodo asked. I sniffled and wiped tears away from my eyes. Sam slowly turned around and walked towards Frodo. He pulled Frodo up to his feet and looked him in the eyes. I stood up and leaned on the wall again, sniffling softly and rubbing my eyes with my shirt sleeves.

"That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for." Sam answered. I walked over to my hobbit buddies and pulled them both into a hug.

"Sam, that whole speech was beautiful." I mumbled as we stood there, group hugging. After a moment, we all let go of each other and stood there. Faramir walked over to us and knelt down in front of Frodo. I heard rustling and armor clanking behind us and knew some other soldiers were there too.

"I think at last, you and I understand one another, Frodo Baggins." Faramir said after a moment. _Holy bleep on a bleep sandwich with bleep on top and a side order of bleep! Faramir's having a change of heart! Holy crap! Does this mean he's going to let us go now? _I wondered. Faramir stood up when a soldier with grey hair came up behind him.

"You know the laws of our country, the laws of your father. If you let them go, your life will be forfeit." The soldier reminded Faramir. Sam and Frodo looked worried and I was shocked. "Then it is forfeit. Release them." Faramir replied after thinking on it for a second. Frodo looked both sad and relieved and Sam brushed a soldier's hand from his shoulders and adjusted his pack. My eyes went wide. He was actually letting us go. And he was willing to die to do that.

**Author's note: Ta-da! So uh, yeah. Are midterms trying to eat anyone else's soul or is it just me? READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	32. Chapter 32

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTHING THAT I REFERENCE! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES RESPECTIVELY!**

Chapter Thirty Two

Olympia's POV

The Uruk Hai began to flee as the sun rose higher in the sky. They ran out of Helm's Deep and towards a forest that I know for a fact was not there before this battle started. I grinned as I remembered that the trees of Fangorn had business with these Uruk Hai. Gandalf, Aragorn, Kate, Legolas, me and all the Riders of Rohan rode after them to chase them out. Éomer suddenly rode out in front of all of us.

"Stay out of the forest! Keep away from the trees!" He shouted a warning to his men. I had a very difficult time keeping a silly, ridiculous grin off my face as we watched the Uruk Hai run head on into the trees. We all watched with varying degrees of shock, fear, confusion and, in the case of me and Kate, extreme amusement as the trees began to move. A split second after the forest came to life; the terrified dying screams of the Uruk Hai filled the air. I wanted to start laughing, but I didn't need the entirety of Rohan to know I was completely out of my mind.

"Trees go nom." Kate whispered, just loud enough for me to hear. I turned my face into my elbow and tried to pass off my hysterical laughter as a coughing fit. I looked at Legolas and nearly burst into laughter again at the look on his face. He looked like he wanted to laugh, but at the same time, was absolutely terrified.

Once the remaining Uruk Hai had been slaughtered by the trees, never thought I'd say that, we headed back to Helm's Deep to start the massive cleanup that needed to happen. I had found Cellyn once we were back inside and made sure his stab wound was properly looked at. As the healer was wrapping a bandage around the wound, I re-counted the story of the trees going nom to him, seeing as he hadn't been there. I know he wanted to laugh, but was scolded by the healer when he did, seeing as it messed up the wrapping of the bandages.

I left Cellyn to get some rest and looked around for Gimli and Legolas, knowing that they'd be telling each other how many Uruk Hai they'd killed. My final count totaled at 50. How the hell that happened, I don't think I'll ever know. But it happened nonetheless.

I had a big smile on my face as I walked up behind Gimli, who was sitting on a dead Uruk Hai smoking his pipe. His axe was embedded in the Uruk Hai's skull. I walked up next to Gimli and sat myself down on the ground, smiling at Legolas as he walked over to us.

"Final count, forty-two." Legolas stated, trying to look nonchalant about it. I bit back a grin. "Forty two? That's not bad for a pointy-eared elvish princeling. I myself am sitting pretty on forty-_three_." Gimli replied. Legolas gave him a look. I'm going to say he was a little bit offended by the princeling comment. Never let it be said that I have no self control. It took all my willpower not to grin like a freaking moron and/or burst out laughing at what happened next.

Legolas responded to this by quickly drawing an arrow and shooting the Uruk Hai that Gimli was sitting on. "Forty-three." He smirked. "He was already dead." Gimli protested. "He was twitching." Legolas argued. "He was twitching…because he's got my axe, embedded in his nervous system!" Gimli took the handle of his axe and moved it around, causing the dead Uruk Hai to twitch and move around.

I couldn't take it anymore; I threw my head back and laughed, almost falling over in the process. Gimli turned and looked at me like I had lost my mind. Which, of course, I have; but that's not my point. Legolas smirked and raised an eyebrow at me, clearly amused.

"What is so funny?" Legolas asked as my laughter died down to snickering. "Nothing." I smiled. "You are a bad liar, lass." Gimli commented, smiling. "Alright, alright. I'm just saying, you two bickering is pretty funny to watch sometimes." I put my hands up as a sign of peace. Legolas smiled and rolled his eyes and Gimli shook his head. I made a face at them both.

"And what was your final count?" Gimli asked, remembering that I hadn't told them yet. I failed at containing the huge smile that spread across my face. Legolas looked a little confused and Gimli looked at me expectantly. "Fifty." I answered. Both of them looked surprised and Gimli muttered something about being outscored by a 'pointy-ear'. I laughed at that.

"That's pretty impressive. I got forty-six in case anyone's wondering." Kate stated as she walked up next to Legolas. I grinned and walked over to stand by my sister, who hugged me tightly. I winced as my shoulder started hurting again and hoped Kate or Legolas didn't notice. Obviously that didn't work. "What's wrong?" Kate asked, pulling back but keeping her hands on my shoulders.

"Nothing." I answered. Kate and Legolas both gave me 'Oh really?' looks and I sighed in defeat. "The cut on my shoulder got re-opened during the battle. It hurts pretty badly but I'm fine." I said quickly. Kate sighed and shook her head, letting go of my shoulders.

"Come with me, Olympia. We must have your wound checked by a healer." Legolas told me, examining my injured shoulder. "It's not really that bad." I replied as I watched Legolas. "Oh just go get it checked out, will you?" Kate added. "Alright, alright." I responded. Kate then took my good arm and dragged me away. Legolas followed right behind us.

*Natalie's POV*

After everything had calmed down a bit, I stood with the hobbits in the water and we looked up to Saruman's tower. He and Wormtongue were standing on the balcony, attempting to figure out what the hell just happened. I smirked to myself. I knew where in the movie we were and that soon enough, Gandalf, Theoden and my friends would be here. I hadn't seen them in what felt like forever. I wondered if I had missed anything important.

"He doesn't look too happy, does he?" Merry asked, observing Saruman. "Not too happy at all Merry." Pippin replied. "Still, I suppose the view would be quite nice from up there." Merry commented. "Oh yes, it's a quality establishment. I hear the staff are very good." Pippin stated, not taking his eyes away from the tower. Behind him, Merry tried to measure and compare their heights to see if he was taller. I chuckled a bit.

"What are you doing?" Pippin asked. Merry scratched his head. _Nice save. _I thought. "Nothing. The world's back to normal, that's all." Merry answered. "No it isn't. I'm starving." Pippin commented. I rolled my eyes. _Yep, everything's back to normal. The Uruk Hai are gone from Isengard and Pippin's hungry and thinking about food again. Mission fucking accomplished. _I thought.

"Good luck trying to find something decent around here; probably only dead rats and moldy bread." Merry told him as he rummaged through a basket that had floated by. Just then, Pippin noticed an apple floating by and grinned. There was a trail of apples in the water which we all began following eagerly. Merry picked up a bottle of wine nearby, and Pippin found a whole roast chicken and put it in an apple basket. I took an apple from said basket and bit into it.

We came to the end of the food trail and found ourselves in Saruman's storeroom. I grinned. All around us there were various kinds of foods, most of which had somehow survived the floods. I was still staring at the food when the hobbits discovered barrels on nearby shelves. _Holy shit! More barrels! Noo! _I thought. Both hobbits stared at the barrels in awe.

"I don't believe it." Pippin said, wide-eyed. "It can't be." Merry stated. They quickly opened up one of the barrels to find that it was full of pipe-weed from the Shire. "It is!" Pippin exclaimed. "Longbottom Leaf. The finest pipe-weed in South Farthing." Merry inhaled deeply, sniffing the leaves. _Oh great, hobbits on weed. This should be interesting at the least. _Pippin then shoved one of the two barrels at Merry.

"It's perfect. One barrel for each. Wait. Do you think we should share it with Treebeard?" Pippin asked. "Pippin, I highly doubt that Treebeard smokes." I commented. "Share it? No. No. Dead plant and all that. Don't think he'd understand. Could be a distant relative." Merry elaborated. "Oh, I get it. Don't be hasty." Pippin stated, tapping his nose. "Exactly." Merry replied after drawing his pipe. I sat down on one of the boxes and finished off my apple. Merry then proceeded to imitate the sound Treebeard makes, sending all three of us into hysterical fits of laughter.

*Francesca's POV*

Faramir had been leading us through the ruins of Osgiliath for a bit. Soon, we stopped at a tunnel that was big enough for us hobbits to walk through standing up straight.

"This is the old sewer. Runs right under the river through the edge of the city. You'll find cover in the woods there." Faramir explained quickly. "Captain Faramir…you've shown your quality, sir. The very highest." Sam told him. Then Faramir grinned. I shit you not; there was a huge grin on his face. "The Shire must truly be a great realm, where gardeners are held in high honor." He stated. Sam looked a bit sheepish. I smiled, but said nothing.

"What road will you take once you reach the woods?" Faramir asked Frodo. "Gollum says there's a path, near Minas Morgul, that climbs up into the mountains." Frodo answered. "Cirith Ungol?" Faramir sounded surprised and a bit worried. Gollum tried to sneak away at this, but Faramir grabbed him and pinned him up against a wall, by the throat.

"Is that its name?" Faramir asked, glaring at Gollum. "No. No!" Gollum told him. Faramir tightened his grip on Gollum's throat, knowing he was completely full of shit. "Yes!" Gollum wailed. Faramir turned his head towards Frodo. "Frodo, they say a dark terror lies in the passes above Minas Morgul. You cannot go that way." Faramir warned. "It is the only way. Master says we must go to Mordor, so we must try." Gollum choked out. Faramir looked back to Frodo.

"I must." Frodo confirmed. Faramir threw Gollum to the ground. Gollum coughed and held his throat. I felt no pity for him. "Go Frodo. Go with the goodwill of all Men." Faramir told Frodo. "Thank you." Frodo said and we headed into the sewers.

"Come on, keep up." Sam called to Gollum a little while later. I heard a thud and turned back to see Gollum on the ground. "Mr. Frodo didn't mean for them Rangers to hurt you. You know that, don't you? He was trying to save you, see?" Sam told Gollum. "Save me?" Gollum asked. "So there's no hard feelings; forgive and forget." Sam continued. "No, no, no hard feelings." Gollum then coughed a loud nasty cough that made my throat hurt just to hear. "Yes, master. Nice Hobbits." Gollum stated. "That's very decent of you. Very decent indeed, Gollum." Sam commented as we continued through the tunnels. _What the hell just happened? _I wondered.

*Olympia's POV*

After getting patched up by the same healer who had treated my shoulder the first time, I went with Legolas and Kate to the stables. It had been decided that we would ride to Isengard to see what was going on. I grinned as we prepared to go. We'd be seeing Natalie, Merry, and Pippin soon enough. And then, of course, we'd be coming back to Rohan to celebrate the victory at Helm's Deep. That meant mainly drinking and partying. Fun. Note the sarcasm.

Within an hour or so, everyone going to Isengard was ready and we left. Gandalf stopped us at the top of a hill near Helm's Deep. "Sauron's wrath will be terrible, his retribution swift. The battle for Helm's Deep is over. The battle for Middle Earth is about to begin." Gandalf stated. We looked over the land and saw Mordor in the distance. I shuddered at the sight. "All our hopes now lie with three little hobbits, somewhere in the wilderness." Gandalf concluded. And with that, we were off again. I smiled most of the way. We were about to see Natalie again. I couldn't wait; I'd missed her a lot. But at the same time, I didn't want to see what kind of depressed state we would find her in. To say she would still be upset about Boromir would be an enormous understatement. Legolas apparently saw the look on my face and rode up next to me.

"What troubles you, my love?" he asked. I smiled a little bit. "Nothing. I'm just worrying about Natalie. She watched Boromir die and to say she's upset is a huge understatement. Obviously Kate and I are going to try to help her; I just don't know how we're going to accomplish that. I hate to see my friends so upset." I explained. Legolas nodded in understanding. "You will think of something, Olympia." He told me, leaning over to kiss my cheek. I blushed and started humming to myself.

*Francesca's POV*

We had eventually made it out of the sewers and were back in the forest. We walked for a while in silence. Quite frankly I was just glad to be outside again after the sewers. It was pretty nasty in there. I knew there would be nastier things to come on this quest but seriously; have you ever walked through old abandoned sewers? It's not fun.

"I wonder if we'll ever be put into songs or tales." Sam stated to break the silence. I smiled, knowing full well that we would be. "What?" Frodo asked, turning to look back at him. "I wonder if people will ever say, 'Let's hear about Frodo and the Ring' and then they'll say, 'Yes that's one of my favorite stories.'." Sam stated. I smiled.

"'Frodo was really courageous wasn't he, dad?'" I quoted, joining the fun. "'Yes, my girl. The most famousest of Hobbits. And that's saying a lot.'" Sam stated, changing the quote seeing as I'm not a 'lad'. "Well you've left out one of the chief characters. 'Samwise the Brave' I want to hear more about Sam. Frodo wouldn't have gotten far without Sam." Frodo added. "Now Mr. Frodo you shouldn't make fun. We were being serious." Sam told him. "So was I Sam." Frodo replied and continued walking. "Samwise the Brave." Sam murmured as we walked.

"Hmm. What would people call me?" I wondered out loud. If we were going to be put into songs and legends and whatnot, I wanted a cool name like Samwise the Brave. Sam and Frodo both laughed. "Why you'd be 'Francesca the Fierce' of course." Frodo told me. I grinned. "Yes I think that would suit you quite well, Miss Francesca." Sam commented. I laughed. "Works for me." I told them.

Soon after that, Frodo noticed Gollum had gone missing. We stopped and looked around for a second before going to search for him, calling his name. After a few minutes, Gollum came out from freaking nowhere. "Come on Hobbits, long ways to go yet. Sméagol will show you the way." Gollum stated after his mysterious and random reappearance. And then we set off again.

**Author's note: Well there you have it folks; Chapter Thirty Two. So ends 'The Two Towers'. There's only one more movie left to go now. Holy crap! Anyway, midterms week is almost over, I've just got one more tomorrow and that's it. Biology midterm, here I come! READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	33. Chapter 33

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT I REFERENCE! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES RESPECTIVELY! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS!**

Chapter Thirty Three

Francesca's POV

"Wake up! Wake up! We must go. Yes, we must go at once." That was the first thing I heard when I woke up a few days later. I jumped up and nearly pulled out my short sword. Then I saw that it was Gollum and relaxed ever so slightly. Sam sat up and Gollum moved out of the concrete cave-type thing we'd slept in. Sam looked over at Frodo, who was still sitting in his blankets, looking like he hadn't slept in days. My theory was that he hadn't. I'm not sure; I can't remember much of the last movie.

"Haven't you had any sleep, Mr. Frodo?" Sam asked. Frodo looked at him and shook his head. I bit my lip. _Good god, if he doesn't sleep I think he'll pass out on his feet. _I thought. "And I've gone and had too much. It must be getting late." Sam stated, looking outside. I stood up slowly, still tired.

"No. It isn't. It isn't midday yet. The days are getting darker." Frodo replied. I was about to say something, but then the ground started shaking. I fell flat on my ass and Sam wobbled on his feet. Mount Doom spurted fire in the distance. My eyes widened and I stared at the volcano. _So that's where we're headed. _I thought grimly.

"Come on! Must go! No time!" Gollum shouted back to us. "For once in my life, I agree with Gollum. We should go." I stated. "Not before Mr. Frodo's had something to eat." Sam protested. "No time silly." Gollum responded.

Sam ignored Gollum's protesting and came back into the cave. I shouldered my pack and waited by the exit. Sam went through his bag and offered Frodo some lembas. "Here," Sam told Frodo. Frodo took the lembas.

"What about you?" Frodo asked, noticing that Sam and I hadn't eaten anything. "Oh no, I'm not hungry; leastways not for lembas bread." Sam answered. Frodo looked at me. "I'm not hungry." I told him. "Sam! Francesca!" Frodo sort of scolded. "Oh alright, but we don't have much left. We have to be careful or we are going to run out. You go ahead and eat that Mr. Frodo. I've rationed it, there should be enough." Sam replied, passing me a piece of lembas bread.

Frodo finished chewing the piece of lembas. "For what?" he asked after swallowing. "The journey home." Sam answered. I smiled slightly. After Frodo finished eating, I helped Sam pack up the stuff and then we left. Gollum led us out into the dreary wilderness of bare, stunted trees.

"Come hobbitses, very close now. Very close to Mordor. No safe places here. Hurry." Gollum urged us as we went along. I looked around, not seeing much other than dead trees and a huge wall of darkness somewhere ahead of us. I shuddered to think that that was where we were going.

*Olympia's POV*

I don't know exactly how long we had been riding, but we were in Fangorn Forest again. I had more than half a mind to ask Gimli what he thought trees had to talk about now. I rode next to Legolas and Gimli. Kate was on my other side and we were all looking around warily.

"Gimli!" I whispered. The dwarf turned to look at me. "What do you think trees have to talk about now, hmm?" I asked quietly. Kate snorted and covered her mouth. Legolas politely tried not to laugh, he failed, and Gimli chuckled, rolling his eyes. We rode on for a little while until I caught the sound of laughing hobbits and smiled as we rode out of the trees. Pippin, Merry, and Natalie were all sitting on the ruins of Isengard. Merry and Pippin were smoking and drinking and Natalie was sitting quietly beside them with a mug in her hand. _I really hope that's not ale. _I thought as I caught sight of her.

Pippin laughed and held his mug out to us and Merry stood up and spread his arms out wide. "Welcome, my lords, to Isengard!" he called to us. It was obvious to me that he was a little…drunk, to put it nicely. I smiled up at them as we brought our horses to a stop. Aragorn smiled slightly and Gandalf just stared. I looked over at Gimli, who seemed none too pleased.

"You young rascals! A merry hunt you've led us on and now we find you feasting and…and smoking!" Gimli exclaimed. I nearly burst out laughing. "We are sitting on a field of victory, enjoying a few well-earned comforts. The salted pork is particularly good." Pippin slurred slightly. Merry smirked smugly. "Salted pork." Gimli stated. He was practically drooling.

"Hobbits." Gandalf muttered. "We're under orders, from Treebeard, who's taken over management of Isengard." Merry told us. I nodded. It was then decided that we would go see Treebeard and Saruman. So, we got the hobbits and Natalie down and they rode on horses with the rest of us. Natalie was sitting behind me on Arya.

"Hey, are you alright?" I whispered to my friend. There was no reply for a second. "I can't see a head shake Natalie." I reminded her. Natalie chuckled dryly. "I've been better." She stated, knowing I was talking about Boromir. "Well obviously. But seriously; how are you?" I pressed. "I'll be alright. I think. Thanks." Natalie replied. I nodded. "I can't see a head nod Olympia." Natalie said. I laughed slightly. "Yes you can. You're behind me." I told her.

"What did I miss?" Natalie asked. "Olympia fell off a cliff and almost died." Kate told her, riding up next to us. I couldn't see Natalie roll her eyes, but I'd bet she did. "Anything else?" Natalie continued. Kate gave me a knowing look and smirked. I raised an eyebrow at her. "I feel out of the loop. What happened?" Natalie asked.

"Something." Kate answered vaguely. "That's freaking helpful." Natalie said sarcastically. "Well, Olympia. Are you going to tell her?" Kate smiled at me. "Tell me what?" Natalie asked. "You're not going to make this easy for me, are you Kate?" I responded. "Oh no." Kate grinned. "I believe you owe me a story Olympia." Natalie stated. Somehow we hadn't reached Treebeard yet. But then again he was halfway across Isengard. I sighed in defeat. Apparently, I wasn't getting out of this.

"There's not much to tell really. I, uh, well you see. Hmm. How do I say this?" I started, not knowing how to explain me and Legolas and half hoping Kate would get impatient and tell Natalie herself. "Oh for the love of all that is good and holy! Olympia and Legolas are in love. Is that really so hard to say?" Kate directed the last question at me, smirking. A couple of people, mainly Éomer and Theoden, looked back at us with raised eyebrows. "Well when you say it that loudly, yes." I commented, feeling my face heat up. Natalie started laughing, and I elbowed her lightly in the gut. We rode the rest of the way in silence.

"Young Master Gandalf, I'm glad you've come. Wood and water, stock and stone I can master, but there is a wizard to manage here, locked in his tower." Treebeard told Gandalf upon our arrival at the tower of Orthanc. _Wow, never thought I'd see the day someone referred to Gandalf as young. _I thought. "Show yourself." Aragorn murmured, looking up at the tower. "Be careful. Even in defeat, Saruman is dangerous." Gandalf warned us.

"Well then let's just have his head and be done with it." Gimli commented. "No, we need him alive. We need him to talk." Gandalf explained. This earned him an 'Are you serious?' sort of look from Éomer. Then Saruman himself appeared at the top of his tower, leaning on his black staff and dressed in white robes from what I could see. "Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear." Kate muttered. I nodded in agreement.

"You have fought many wars, and slain many men, Theoden King. And made peace afterwards. Can we not take counsel together as we once did, my old friend? Can we not have peace, you and I?" Saruman asked Theoden. I glared up at the wizard.

"You say you want peace, but I kinda think you mean the other thing." Natalie muttered. "Did you just…?" I started to ask. "Quote Nick Fury? Yes, yes I did." Natalie cut me off. I rolled my eyes at her.

"We shall have peace…..We shall have peace, when you answer for the burning of the Westfold and the children that lie dead there! We shall have peace when the lives of the soldiers whose bodies were hewn even as they lay dead against the gates of the Hornbug, are avenged! When you hang from a gibbet for the sport of your own crows….we shall have peace!" Theoden shouted at Saruman. The tone of his voice portrayed two things. One, that he has a deep love for Rohan and its people, and two, that he was beyond the farthest reaches of pissed off that someone would purposely compromise the safety of his country.

"Gibbets and crows! Dotard! What do you want, Gandalf Greyhame? Let me guess…the key of Orthanc? Or perhaps the keys of Barad Dûr itself? Along with the Crowns of the Seven Kings and the rods of the Five Wizards!" Saruman yelled down to Gandalf.

Gandalf, however, did not respond to Saruman's taunting. "Your treachery has cost many lives. Thousands more are now at risk; but you could save them Saruman. You were deep in the Enemy's counsel." Gandalf told Saruman.

"So you have come for information? I have some for you." Saruman stated. He then held up in one hand a sphere almost the size of a bowling ball. The palantir. He paused for a moment to let everyone stare at the palantir. "Something festers in the heart of Middle Earth. Something that you have failed to see; but the Great Eye has seen it! Even now he presses his advantage. His attack will come soon. You're all going to die. But you know this, don't you Gandalf? You cannot think that this ranger will ever sit upon the throne of Gondor. This exile crept from the shadows will never be crowned King! Gandalf does not hesitate to sacrifice those who are closest to him, those he professes to love! Tell me, what words of comfort did you give the Halfling, before you sent him to his doom? The path that you have set him on can only lead to death!" Saruman told all of us. Quite personally, if I could have, I'd have shot him already.

"I've heard enough. Shoot him! Stick and arrow in his gob!" Gimli exclaimed. "Him or me?" I asked, gesturing to Legolas, then back to me. "One of you. Better yet, both of you!" Gimli answered. I smirked deviously and reached for an arrow.

"No! Come down Saruman, and your life will be spared." Gandalf called to Saruman. "Save your pity and your mercy! I have no use for it!" Saruman yelled. He then shot a fireball out of the bottom of his staff at Gandalf. The horses spooked and whinnied; but when the flames died away, Gandalf was perfectly fine. My eyes went wide and I raised my eyebrows. "Saruman, your staff is broken." Gandalf stated. Then, Saruman's staff basically exploded. "Holy shit." Natalie muttered. Wormtongue then appeared behind Saruman and I grimaced.

"Gríma! You need not follow him! You were not always as you are now. You were once a man of Rohan! Come down." Theoden stated as he saw Wormtongue.

"A man of Rohan? What is the house of Rohan but a thatched barn where brigands drink in the reek and their brats roll on the floor with the dogs? The victory at Helm's Depe does not belong to you, Theoden Horse Master. You are a lesser son of greater sires!" Saruman responded. _So now he's resorted to just flat out insulting us? How much lower can he get? _I thought.

"Gríma, come down! Be free of him!" Theoden completely ignored Saruman and continued talking to Wormtongue. "Free? He will never be free!" Saruman yelled. "No!" I heard Wormtongue protest. "Get down. Cur!" Saruman yelled at him, then bitch slapped him to the ground.

"Saruman! You were deep in the Enemy's counsel. Tell us what you know!" Gandalf commanded. "You withdraw your guard and I will tell you where your doom will be decided. I will not be held prisoner here!" Saruman yelled in reply.

As he finished that thought, Wormtongue came up behind him with a knife and stabbed him in the back, literally. In that same instant, Legolas and I both drew arrows and shot Wormtongue. Legolas shot him in the chest, and I shot him between the eyes. Wormtongue collapsed on the tower of Orthanc and Saruman tumbled off the tower and was impaled on the spiked wheel below. I winced.

"Send word to all our allies and to every corner of Middle Earth that still stands free. The Enemy moves against us; we need to know where he will strike." Gandalf told Theoden. Just then, the wheel began to turn. The palantir fell out of Saruman's robes and the dead wizard disappeared beneath the surface of the muddy water.

"The filth of Saruman, is washing away. Trees will come back to live here. Young trees; wild trees." Treebeard stated. Pippin then got down from Aragorn's horse and made his way through the water towards the palantir. Aragorn yelled to him, but was ignored. Pippin picked up the palantir and stared at it for a moment. "Bless my bark." Treebeard said upon seeing Pippin and the palantir.

Gandalf rode up behind the young hobbit and turned to face him. "I'll take that now, my lad. Quickly now." He told Pippin. Pippin handed the palantir up to Gandalf, who quickly wrapped it up in some cloth that he had and stared intently at Pippin for a moment. We then set out to ride back to Edoras.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Natalie asked as we rode. "We are going to party." Kate whispered to her. Natalie laughed and soon Kate and I joined in. "So, what were you drinking earlier?" I inquired. "Uh, it was ale." Natalie admitted. I face-palmed. "I shouldn't have asked." I muttered. Kate laughed.

"So are we changing before this party that's supposed to happen? Not for nothing but you two look kinda wrecked." Natalie commented. "What are we supposed to wear? It's not like we have extra clothes." I retorted. "Well, I'm sure Eowyn has some extra dresses she would let us borrow. I'm also pretty sure we could find something for Natalie." Kate suggested. I groaned and Natalie and Kate laughed at me. "Ha! I told you you'd have to wear a dress again at some point in your life!" Natalie poked me in the back. I made a face and groaned again.

**Author's note: Ta-da! So I know I haven't updated in a while. Please don't be too upset. I've been very busy lately; my brain is now fried. Ha! More dresses for Olympia! Doesn't that suck? READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	34. Chapter 34

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT I REFERENCE! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES RESPECTIVELY! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS! **

Chapter Thirty Four

Olympia's POV

Once we got back to Rohan, Kate made a bee-line for Eowyn and Natalie had to bear hug me in order to stop me from going in the opposite direction. Kate and Eowyn talked for a while and as it turned out, she would be able to get dresses for Kate, Natalie and me. Fan-freaking-tastic. Eowyn and Kate ushered Natalie and I into a room I'm going to say was Eowyn's. Eowyn told Natalie, Kate and I to sit down on the bed and wait for her to come back, but Kate insisted on going with Eowyn. Natalie and I sat down and the other two left.

"Wow. Just, just wow. That is quite possibly the scariest thing I've seen all week. I can handle orcs and trolls and most other manner of McNasties but Eowyn and Kate going into girly mode…." I trailed off and shuddered a bit. Natalie snorted and chuckled at me. "I'm pretty sure you couldn't fight a Balrog or Nazgûl on your own." she pointed out.

"Well that's why I said _most _other manner of McNasties. I'm not a complete badass." I answered, looking around the room. Eowyn's room was pretty neat and organized, very much unlike mine was at home. There was a wardrobe-closet type thing, something that vaguely resembled a vanity table, the bed, of course, and a window on the wall opposite the door. Upon seeing the vanity table, I groaned and Natalie laughed at me.

"Soo….Your hair seems shorter. Did something happen or is that just me?" Natalie broke the silence that had fallen over us. Mentally, I let out a sigh of relief. It could have been worse; she could have started pestering me about me and Legolas.

"Uh, yeah. About that...On the way to Helm's Deep, we were kinda attacked by orcs who rode wargs. You remember that from the movie, right?" I started. Natalie nodded. "So, when we were attacked, I kinda went the same route Aragorn did. You know; the whole 'falling off a cliff while fighting a warg' thing. So as I shoved an orc off the warg, said orc grabbed onto the bottom of my hair, forcing me to cut off about four inches and then both Aragorn and I fell off the cliff. This led Kate, Gimli and Legolas to believe that both of us were dead. When we got back, Gimli damn near killed us both, and I was tackle hugged by Kate and almost tackle hugged by Legolas." I finished.

Natalie started laughing. "Alright. Now, you need to tell me something. Who won the orc killing contest? I know you and Kate both participated in it; it's something you two would do. Natalie smirked. I grinned. "Who do you think?" I asked. "Hmmm. Gimli!" she answered. "No! It was me!" I laughed.

We then lapsed into a comfortable silence. It was during this silence that I found myself trying to make sense of what was going to happen in the future, both near and distant. Why? Let's put it this way; Natalie didn't look like she wanted to talk and I was bored.

_Alright. Let's get this straight. Tonight, obviously, we party. Then there's the whole Pippin and the Palantir situation. Then Pippin and Gandalf go to Gondor. Then the beacons are lit and we start off for Gondor. After that it's going to the Paths of the Dead with Aragorn. Then the Battle of Pelennor Fields, then at the Black Gates, and then Aragorn's coronation. And then the storyline of the movies ends. Four years from now, give or take a few months, Frodo will leave for the Grey Havens. But, what about the rest of us? I think Natalie might stay in Gondor. Francesca will most likely go to the Shire. Kate and I….I don't know what we'll do. I think Kate wants to see Rivendell. But if I know my sister, she'll make sure I get where I'm going first. I'll probably go to Mirkwood. No scratch that. I'm definitely going to Mirkwood, or wherever Legolas goes when this is done. But that puts us all in different places. Oh we'll have to do something about that; write to each other all the time, get together simply to see each other, something! _

My internal rambling was interrupted when Kate and Eowyn came back, each carrying two dresses. One for each of us. This should be fun. Kate grinned evilly at me. I backed up and put my feet up in a floor fighting position._ She has fancy looking shoes too. I'm done for! _I thought.

"Alright. First things first, Olympia, chill out. Natalie, here; try this one on." Kate said, handing Natalie a dark red dress with gold colored sash things on the waist and arms and a pair of matching shoes. Natalie made a face. Kate stuck her tongue out at Natalie. Eowyn and I laughed. Kate set down her other dress on Eowyn's bed; it was light blue with silver colored designs and stuff. There was no way in hell I would wear something like that. I gave my sister a look.

"Don't worry, sis. The blue one's for me. Besides, I'd be a bad sister if I made you wear something that fancy. And don't you even think about bringing up Rachel's Sweet Sixteen. That was a special occasion that required fancy clothes." Kate pointed at me as I opened my mouth to argue with the exact comeback she had just foiled. Damn. She knows me too well. Then again, she _is_ my sister, so that's expected. Eowyn handed me a purple dress similar to Natalie's except in the way that the sash type things were braided on mine, and they were silver.

"Your sister told me that you fancy this color." She told me when I gave her a confused look. I nodded and thanked her. Eowyn then took out a changing screen of sorts from behind the wardrobe and then we took turns changing. I was the last to change. By the time I had gotten the dress and shoes on, Kate was already brushing and figuring out something to do with Natalie's hair. Eowyn was standing behind Kate, brushing her own hair. She saw me in the mirror and smiled.

"You look beautiful, Lady Olympia." Eowyn told me. I stared at my feet and blushed a bit. Kate and Natalie looked up at meat this point. Natalie turned her head towards me, causing Kate to use some pretty colorful Spanish. Natalie had messed up the French braid Kate had been putting in her hair. I raised my eyebrows.

"Thank you, Eowyn." I said softly. Then I looked over to Kate, contemplating whether or not what she said was even physically possible. "You should really consider watching your language." I smiled at my sister. Kate rolled her eyes and handed me a hairbrush. I brushed my hair until Kate re-did Natalie's French Braid. Eowyn didn't get that fancy and just pinned back the front part of her hair so it was out of her face. When she was done with Natalie, Kate had me sit down in the stool at the vanity table and then proceeded to make two Dutch lace braids along the sides of my head and then braid them together. She left the rest of my hair down. Kate braided her own hair over one shoulder.

After all was said and done, Eowyn led us into the Golden Hall, where the feast/party would be taking place. Once we were inside, Kate, Natalie, and I quickly picked Legolas, Gimli, Merry and Pippin out of the crowd and went to go sit with them. Aragorn and Gandalf weren't with them. We laughed and talked for a while. Mainly this consisted of Merry and Pippin finding out that Legolas and I are together, and then both of them teasing us.

This continued until King Theoden began making a toast. The whole hall went quiet as Eowyn bowed and gave King Theoden a goblet with which to make said toast. King Theoden raised his glass and we all stood.

"Tonight we remember those who gave their blood to defend this country. Hail the victorious dead!" King Theoden's voice echoed throughout the hall. Everyone raised their mugs and responded with 'Hail!' I stared into my own mug, saying a silent prayer for the soldiers who died defending Helm's Deep, and a prayer for their families, before taking a long sip and sitting down to eat.

After eating and talking and generally having a good time for a while, my attention was captured by Éomer talking to Legolas and Gimli. He was explaining the rules of the drinking game they were about to participate in. I nudged Natalie and Kate and motioned towards them. I went over to the bar where this was happening and pulled up a stool next to Legolas. _There is no way I'm missing this. _I thought with a smile. Kate and Natalie also sat down nearby.

"Last one standing wins." Gimli stated, laughing a bit as he downed his whole mug of ale/beer/whatever it was. Legolas made a face as he took a sip from his mug. Natalie let out a small snort of laughter. I turned over to Éomer, who was watching Gimli and Legolas intently.

"Who do you think is going to win?" Kate asked Éomer from her seat next to me. Éomer shook his head slightly. "I do not know. It should be an interesting game." He replied. "If I had to guess, I'd say Legolas is going to win." Kate said. Éomer shrugged. I smirked.

After who knows how long, both Legolas and Gimli were still going and there was a growing number of empty mugs near them. Gimli farted and I face-palmed when Éomer did a double-take at the dwarf. Gimli, who by this point looked wrecked, just chuckled and downed another mug.

"He is going to have a massive hangover tomorrow morning and I am going to laugh at him." Natalie commented. I smiled and rolled my eyes and Kate laughed. "That's a little mean, don't you think?" I asked. Natalie shrugged.

"It's the dwarves that go swimming, with little, hairy women!" Gimli laughed drunkenly after a moment. Natalie raised her eyebrows at me as if to ask 'So…you were saying?' Kate blinked a couple times and shuddered ever so slightly. I just snorted and shook my head. All the other drunken people who had gathered around to watch started laughing at this comment.

"I feel something; a slight tingle in my fingers. I think it's affecting me." Legolas stated, looking at his fingers with concern. Éomer raised his eyebrows. "After that much alcohol, most people have lost all feeling whatsoever." Natalie said sarcastically. Gimli set down his, now empty, mug and lifted his hand up.

"What did I say? He can't hold his liquor." Gimli stated, waving his hand around for emphasis. Gimli then went cross-eyed and keeled over backwards, unconscious. Legolas, Éomer, Kate, Natalie and I all stared for a moment. Legolas then turned back to the rest of us. "Game over." He smirked. At this, Natalie, Kate and I burst out laughing.

"Oh my god!" Kate exclaimed, pointing to Merry and Pippin, who were climbing up onto a table. "This should be good." Natalie smiled. Legolas sat down on my other side as someone struck up a tune on a fiddle and the hobbits started singing and dancing.

"Oh you can search far and wide; you can drink the whole town dry. But you'll never find a beer so brown, but you'll never find a beer so brown, as the one we drink in our hometown, as the one we drink in our hometown. You can drink your fancy ales; you can drink 'em by the flagon. But the only brew for the brave and true…." Merry and Pippin trailed off for a moment when Pippin stopped and stared at Gandalf.

"Pippin!" Merry shouted after a second. "But the only brew for the brave and true, comes from the Green Dragon!" Merry and Pippin finished by clanking their cups together and downing them. We all laughed.

After another mug of beer, Natalie was stumbling and slurring her words. Kate and I kept eyes on her at all times, just to make sure nothing happened to her. About fifteen minutes later, the girl was about as smashed as the hobbits. Kate mouthed 'I have an idea' to me before going over to someone and borrowing a fiddle. Legolas furrowed his eyebrows and looked at me.

"What is she doing?" he asked. "I don't have the slightest clue. She told me she had an idea but….." I trailed off as Kate started playing 'Cotton Eye Joe' on her borrowed fiddle. "Oh god." I murmured.

Natalie got up on a nearby table and started dancing the only thing you can dance when someone plays this song. Yeah, Natalie was up on a table dancing the 'Cotton Eye Joe'. After the first verse, the hobbits caught on and got up on the table and started dancing along with Natalie. Kate was somehow still managing to play through her laughter and I was nearly in tears in my own fit of giggles. Legolas was laughing too as he watched our friends make fools of themselves. I also thought I saw Gandalf and Aragorn in a corner watching and laughing too. It's times like these where I really wanted a camcorder.

After the song was over, Natalie, Merry and Pippin stumbled off the table and back to the bar where Legolas and I were sitting. Natalie all but collapsed into the chair next to me and Merry and Pippin just got more ale. Natalie muttered something in highly unintelligible gibberish and I raised an eyebrow. Kate gave the fiddle back to whoever she borrowed it from and sat on Natalie's other side.

"She is going to have a massive hangover in the morning and I am going to laugh at her." I smiled. Kate laughed. "No you're not." She replied. "After that little performance, I just might." I said. Kate rolled her eyes and smiled at me.

**Author's note: I am so, so sorry! I haven't updated in, like forever! It's been almost a month! My original plan was to follow hobbit tradition and give a gift to you all on my birthday in the form of this chapter. My birthday was eight days ago on the 20****th****. So obviously that didn't happen because the chapter wasn't done. READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	35. Chapter 35

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT I REFERENCE! FRANCESCA AND NATALIE OWN THEMSELVES RESPECTIVELY! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS!**

Chapter Thirty Five

Olympia's POV

Kate completely cut off Natalie's alcohol after her performance of the 'Cotton Eye Joe.' Eventually she sobered up enough to walk relatively straight and speak coherently. Even then, she wasn't allowed any more ale for the night. After a while, I decided I needed to go out and get some fresh air. It was very stuffy in the Golden Hall and it was beginning to annoy me.

"I'm going outside." I told Legolas as I got up. Legolas got up with me. "May I join you?" he asked. "Sure." I told him. Legolas took my hand and we walked outside the Golden Hall and towards the back of the building that faced out onto the plains. I smiled as a cool breeze started blowing. "Much better; it was getting really stuffy in there." I thought out loud. Legolas nodded in agreement and I looked up at the stars, making an attempt to see if I could find constellations of any kind. I couldn't find any.

"Legolas, I just realized something." I stated randomly after few minutes. "And what is that, my love?" Legolas asked. "Seeing as you've been to my world, you know almost everything there is to know about my life, but I don't know anything about what your life was like before….all these crazy complicated things happened." I explained, waving my hand around for emphasis, having realized that I didn't know a lot about Legolas's past.

"I see. I would answer any questions you have about my life, seeing as you answered so many of mine when I came to your world. What would you like me to tell you?" Legolas responded. _Hmm. Good question. Crap, he stumped me on this one. What do I want to know?_ I thought on that for a moment.

"Do you have any siblings?" I asked. Legolas smiled. "Yes. I have two brothers. One is older than I am and the other is younger. My elder brother is named Tawarthion and my younger brother is named Veryan." Legolas answered. I nodded. "What do they look like?" I continued. "Both of my brothers look relatively like me. Tawarthion is taller than both Veryan and I. Veryan and I are nearly the same height. Both of my brothers have grey eyes and fair hair." Legolas elaborated. I nodded. We talked like this for a while, Legolas told me about his life in Mirkwood and his adventures, and misadventures, with his brothers. I also told Legolas about my childhood, including both times I've sprained my wrist. Once was from falling off the swing set, once was from falling out of a tree; both happened when I was in second grade. I sprained the right wrist both times. I was a klutzy child.

"Olympia, do you ever miss your world?" Legolas asked randomly. I bit my lip. Truth be told, sometimes I did really miss my world. It's been my home for my entire life. "Sometimes I do. I've never known any other place up until recently. But, even if there were some way for me to get back, I wouldn't. Neither would Kate or Natalie or Francesca. We think of the Fellowship as family now. And, Legolas, I love you way too much to leave." I gave Legolas a hug. He immediately hugged me back. "I love you as well." Legolas whispered, lifting up my chin. I looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back, leaned in and kissed me. I internally smiled and kissed him back.

"Get a room, will ya!?" a voice shouted from behind us. Natalie's voice. Apparently she was sober now. Legolas and I jumped slightly and turned to see Natalie and Kate. I blushed and buried my face in Legolas's shoulder, mentally cursing Natalie. Natalie and Kate started laughing. I glared at them.

"Why do you do these things to me?" I asked. "Because messing with you is fun." Natalie answered. Kate grinned and nodded in agreement. I rolled my eyes as the two walked over to Legolas and I. Natalie teased us for a good ten minutes before Kate Gibbs slapped her and we all went back inside.

Natalie, Kate and I changed and returned the dresses to Eowyn before she showed us where the rest of the Fellowship was sleeping. I curled up in my blankets and fell asleep in about five minutes.

*Francesca's POV*

I woke up to the sound of Gollum wailing 'Master!' at the top of his lungs. _Why must these things always happen in the middle of the night? _I mused as I sat up groggily. Frodo, being much more alert than me at this ungodly hour of the morning, ran over to where Sam was pinning Gollum to the ground. My eyes widened and I was on my feet in an instant. Frodo rushed over to them.

"No Sam! Leave him alone!" he cried, pulling Sam off Gollum. "I heard it from his own mouth! He means to murder us!" Sam told Frodo. I stood up and walked over, watching Gollum warily.

"Never! Sméagol wouldn't hurt a fly! Aaaagh! He is a horrid, fat hobbit who hates Sméagol and who makes up nasty lies." Gollum whined. He shut his eyes and all but collapsed on the ground. I would have head-desked if I could have, but seeing as there was a distinct lack of desks in the middle of nowhere, I face-palmed.

"You miserable little maggot! I'll stove your head in!" Sam yelled, charging at Gollum. Gollum ran behind a scrawny, sad looking tree nearby and attempted to hide. Frodo grabbed Sam's arm and pulled him back. "You calling me a liar?! You're a liar!" Sam shouted. Gollum shrieked.

I bit my lip. _What the hell is happening to us? Sam's not usually like this. It kinda scares me to see what this whole Ring thing is doing…Granted, Gollum is a little bitch but…you know what? I don't even know anymore. _I thought, chomping a bit harder on my lip, trying not to break down.

"If you scare him off then we are lost!" Frodo snapped, turning Sam around to face him. "I don't care! I can't do it Mr. Frodo! I won't wait around for him to kill us!" Sam argued. "I'm not sending him away." Frodo replied decisively. Gollum cowered behind his tree, hiding his face in his hands. I glared at him and watched as Sam and Frodo continued to fight. It broke my heart to see two friends as close as them fighting like this. I wanted to cry.

"You don't see it, do you? He's a villain." Sam lowered his voice a little bit. "We can't do this by ourselves Sam. Not without a guide. I need you on my side." Frodo countered and his usual soft tone of voice came back. "I'm on your side, Mr. Frodo." Sam responded. "I know Sam, I know. Trust me. Come Sméagol." Frodo said.

Gollum then came out from behind his tree, and Frodo took his hand as we started off again. Gollum looked back at Sam and I and gave us an evil look. _Oh, so that's how you wanna play? _I thought, glaring right back at him as Sam and I followed behind Frodo and Gollum.

"If anything, I'm on your side, Sam. Gollum's bad. And something's definitely not right here." I whispered to Sam as we walked. Sam chuckled humorlessly. "By rights, none of us should be anywhere near here. Mr. Frodo and I should be back home in the Shire, and you should be back at your home, Miss Francesca." Sam replied. "Well, none of this is 'by rights', now is it? Besides, I'd miss you and Frodo and Merry and Pippin and everyone if I were back home." I told him.

"Well that's very kind of you. Hopefully everything'll be 'by rights' again once the Ring is destroyed." Sam stated. "Hopefully." I muttered, knowing that not everything will be the way it was. "It's really the Ring that's doing this, isn't it. I think it feeds off of discord and fighting and all those nasty things." I mused. Sam nodded.

"That reminds me of something, Miss Francesca. When all this is said and done, what are you and Misses Natalie, Kate and Olympia going to do?" Sam asked. I made a face. "No clue. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I think I'd go back to the Shire with you and Frodo and Merry and Pippin. It's not normal to see a hobbit anywhere else." I said.

"Trouble? Why, you would fit right in in the Shire!" Sam exclaimed quietly. I laughed a little. "I think Natalie will live in Gondor, or maybe Rohan. Kate and Olympia, being as close as they are, will probably stay together for a while. But, something tells me Olympia will end up going wherever it is that Legolas goes." I continued. Sam looked a little confused.

"What gives you that idea?" Sam inquired. "The fact that Olympia is madly in love with Legolas gives me that idea. If either of them were here to hear me say it, I'd be in trouble for telling; but I'm pretty sure Legolas loves her back. I won't know for sure until we see them again." I replied.

Sam just looked at me. It is my firm belief that he had no idea what-so-freakin-ever how to respond to that without seeming rude, which would be against the very nature of Samwise Gamgee. So, we just continued walking in silence.

*Olympia's POV*

I woke up to the sound of Merry yelling for help and the door to the room we were sleeping in slamming open. Kate and I stood up immediately, as did Gandalf. Aragorn and Legolas rushed into the room. Pippin had the palantír in his hands and was silently struggling with it. The palantír looked like it was on fire and Pippin's mouth was open as if he was screaming, but there was no sound. Everything that happened next happened very, very fast.

"Help him!" Merry cried. Aragorn took the palanír from Pippin's hands. He struggled with the thing for a moment before collapsing on the floor. The palantír rolled away from him. Kate and I stood there helplessly, not knowing what to do. If this weren't a dire emergency, I'd be pissed off for being woken up at this ungodly hour of the morning.

"Pippin!" Merry yelped and rushed over to his partner in crime, who was motionless on the floor. Gandalf threw a blanket over the palantír and whirled around to face the rest of us. I took a small step back. Gandalf looked positively livid and I was a bit scared.

"Fool of a Took!" he snapped, looking at Pippin. When Gandalf saw the state the aforementioned hobbit was in however, the anger in his face was replaced with concern. "No." he whispered to himself before running over to Pippin's side, pushing Merry out of his way as he knelt down. He took Pippin's hand and put his other hand on the hobbit's forehead. We all stared at them anxiously for a moment before Pippin jumped and began panting.

"Look at me." Gandalf stated. Pippin looked up at the wizard, then squeezed his eyes shut again. "Gandalf, forgive me." Pippin whispered, looking away. Gandalf turned the hobbit's head back to face him. "Look at me. What did you see?" he asked.

"A tree. There was a white tree in a courtyard of stone. It was dead, the city was burning." Pippin replied, looking panicked. Gandalf looked shocked. "Minas Tirith, is that what you saw?" Gandalf continued. "I-I saw him. I could hear his voice in my head." Pippin was nearly hysterical at this point.

"And what did you tell him? Speak!" Gandalf ordered, his tone of voice betraying the fear all of us felt. "He asked me my name. I didn't answer. He hurt me." Pippin whimpered after a moment. I bit my lip as I watched, and I felt terrible for him.

"And what did you tell him about Frodo and the Ring?" Gandalf insisted urgently. Pippin just stared at him. Gandalf left him alone after that and the rest of us made an attempt to get some more sleep. But none came, for any of us. Everyone was restless until finally we had exhausted ourselves, and even then it was an uneasy sleep.

~~~~~meep~~~~~meep~~~~~meep~~~~~

The next morning, Gandalf gathered every member of the Fellowship that was present, and King Theoden, in the Golden Hall. We filled in Gimli and Natalie on what had happened, seeing as they had been asleep when it did. How they slept through that is beyond me. We all stood silently near Gandalf, with Merry, Pippin and Gimli off to the side.

"There was no lie in Pippin's eyes. A fool, but an honest fool, he remains. He told Sauron nothing of Frodo and the Ring. We've been strangely fortunate. Pippin saw in the palantír a glimpse of the Enemy's plan. Sauron moves to strike the city of Minas Tirith. His defeat at Helm's Deep showed our enemy one thing. He knows the Heir of Elendil has come forth. Men are not as weak as he supposed; there is courage still. Strength enough, perhaps, to challenge him. Sauron fears this. He will not risk the peoples of Middle Earth uniting under one banner. He will raze Minas Tirith to the ground before he sees a king return to the throne of Men. If the beacons of Gondor are lit, Rohan must be ready for war." Gandalf explained.

"Tell me. Why should we ride to the aid of those who did not come to ours? What do we owe Gondor?" Theoden asked. I narrowed my eyes and glared at him. His 'What have you done for me lately?' attitude about this was pissing me off. I could tell it annoyed my sister too. She rolled her eyes up to the ceiling and mouthed something along the lines of 'God give me strength'.

"I will go." Aragorn volunteered. "No!" Gandalf protested. "They must be warned!" Aragorn argued. "They will be!" Gandalf replied, walking over to Aragorn and whispering something to him that not even Kate, Legolas and I could hear. "Understand this; things are now in motion that cannot be undone. I ride for Minas Tirith; and I won't be going alone." Gandalf said out loud, taking a step back from Aragorn and eyeing Pippin.

Natalie, Gimli, Kate, Legolas and I watched from outside the Golden Hall as Gandalf and Pippin galloped towards Gondor. They were riding as fast as they could and soon Shadowfax disappeared from our view. We all started wandering around, seeing as we had nothing to do.

"Hey, Kate?" I poked my sister's arm. "Yeah?" she replied. "I think I'm going to go check on Cellyn. I haven't seen him since after the battle and I want to make sure he's alright." I told her. Kate nodded and she, Natalie and I started walking towards the Houses of Healing. Finding Cellyn didn't take too long, and soon Kate and Natalie were properly introduced to him.

"So, how are you feeling?" I asked with a pointed look towards his ribs. He shrugged. "The wound is healing well enough. It hurts quite a bit. The healers say it will heal fully soon, though I believe there will be a scar there." Cellyn explained. I nodded; glad that he would be alright. Kate, Natalie, Cellyn and I talked for a while longer about nothing in particular. Kate, Natalie and I left a while later and went to find where Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn went.

**Author's note: Please don't bite my head off for that whole thing I made up about Legolas's brothers. Please? Anyway, I know I haven't updated in like, two weeks. But I've been really busy. I'll try to work on updating sooner! READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	36. Chapter 36

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT I REFERENCE! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES RESPECTIVELY! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS!**

Chapter Thirty Six

Francesca's POV

Sam, Frodo, Gollum and I were now wandering through a forest, if it could be called that. The trees were bare and stunted and everything seemed grey and bleak. I looked around at the place and decided that it couldn't exactly be called a forest. We hadn't seen another living thing in who knows how long. The sun was almost directly overhead. I've never been able to tell time by the sun but even I knew that it was about noon.

"It must be getting near teatime; leastways it would be in decent places where there is still teatime." Sam commented as we walked. I nodded slightly, wracking my brain to try and figure out where in the last movie we were, timeline-wise.

"We're not in decent places." Gollum replied. _Well, can't argue with him there. I wonder if Olympia, Kate and Natalie are in decent places. I hope they are, and that they're alright. I miss them. _I thought as we continued.

I couldn't stand this place, I constantly felt like we were being watched, for some reason. The whole forest looked unwelcoming. Suddenly Frodo stopped and started staring out into space. I looked over at him, confused and Sam took a step towards him.

"Mr. Frodo? What is it?" Sam asked. "It's just a feeling. I don't think I'll be coming back." Frodo said absently. I narrowed my eyes a fraction and Sam and I walked over to Frodo.

"Yes you will. Of course you will. That's just morbid thinking. We're going there and back again, just like Mr. Bilbo. You'll see." Sam encouraged him. I nodded to Frodo and we started forward again. I stayed next to Frodo.

"Sam's right you know. You gotta keep the faith, to quote Jon Bon Jovi. Everything'll be alright in the end." I said. Frodo looked at me. "What if everything is not alright?" he asked. "Then it's not the end yet." I replied. Frodo nodded and I smiled slightly. It felt kind of weird. I hadn't really smiled in a long time.

We soon came to a crossroads and the trees thinned out a bit. There was a huge statue there that looked to me, a little like the kings at the Argonath. But, this one's head had been knocked off and replaced with a, now rusted, metal cage-looking thing.

"I think these lands were once part of the kingdom of Gondor. Long ago, when there was a king." Frodo told us as we looked up at the statue. We walked past it to the other side of the crossroads. I looked over and saw the statue's head on the ground, flowers growing over its head almost like a crown. Apparently, Sam saw it too.

"Mr. Frodo! Look! The King has got a crown again." Sam stated as the sun came out from behind a patch of clouds and light up the fallen king's head. Sam and I smiled and Frodo's lips twitched in an almost smile.

Then another cloud blew in front of the sun, making everything go dark and gloomy and grey again. The almost smile fell from Frodo's face and Sam frowned. I screwed my lip to the side and made a face.

"Come on Hobbits! Mustn't stop now! This way!" Gollum called to us. And so we continued on.

*Olympia's POV*

Natalie, Kate and I found Aragorn, Legolas, Merry and Gimli talking amongst themselves outside the Golden Hall where Legolas and I had talked the night before. I just hoped that Natalie wouldn't bring up the fact that she and Kate caught us kissing, I really did not want to deal with the relentless teasing that would surely come from either Gimli or Merry. But, if she did bring it up, I could always talk about her little performance of the 'Cotton Eye Joe'.

"Hey guys. What's going on?" Natalie asked as we came up to them. I started humming to myself. "Hello! I was just telling Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas that it must be getting near teatime in the Shire." Merry told us. Kate shielded her eyes with her hand and looked up towards the sun.

"It's about noon. If it were Saturday, you two would be just getting out of Ju Jitsu." Kate commented. Natalie sort of smiled and I nodded. Suddenly I was wrapped in a bear hug from behind. Instinctively, I pinned the hands to my chest.

"Good. You were a brown belt; I trust you know what to do next." Natalie said and even though she was behind me, I could tell she was smirking. "What the hell do you mean 'was'? I still am, Miss Green belt!" I snarked, elbowing her in the ribs, ducking under her arm and pinning her in a shodan wrist lock. She laughed a little and Kate rolled her eyes and smirked at us.

This eventually led to a random sparring match between Natalie and me. Kate eventually decided she wanted to spar me for the first time in what felt like forever. It reminded me of competition season at the dojo. Every year, we would hold an in-house tournament for the kids' class. Typically, you aged out at sixteen. Though, I had missed my last chance because I'd pulled 2 muscles in my left leg the week before the competition and couldn't compete because of it. After sparring Natalie and my sister, we all sat down and were asked to explain the tournament.

"It was called the Shiai and our dojo had it every year in March just for the fun of it. We would be separated into divisions according to height, weight and belt rank." Kate started. "We competed against each other in sparring divisions, like what we just did and in forms divisions." Natalie continued. "Forms divisions were the divisions where we would show the different techniques we learned. There were first, second, third and sometimes fourth place winners from every division." I concluded.

"How were the winners chosen?" Aragorn asked. "There would be five judges who would give each person a score. The scores would be added up by Sensei Eileen and the people with the highest scores in each division would win." Kate explained. Aragorn nodded in understanding.

"There were also the sportsmanship and spirit awards. Those were given to the people who showed the best sportsmanship in the competition. Kate has won a sportsmanship trophy and Olympia and I have both won spirit trophies." Natalie added. I nodded.

"Typically you aged out at sixteen. So, all our Shiai careers were over when you all met us." Kate randomly stated. I pouted. "Olympia only got to compete until she was fifteen." Natalie said before anyone could ask about the pout.

"I take it you liked these competitions." Gimli commented. I nodded furiously. "I loved competing in the Shiai." I told him. "Why did you not compete when you were sixteen then?" Aragorn asked.

"She was injured." Kate explained. "I would have competed anyway, but sensei, mom _and_ the doctor all told me no." I smiled sheepishly. "I remember you being really ticked off about that." Natalie commented.

"What did you do?" Legolas asked, turning his head so he could see me from where I was sitting next to him. "Technically, I didn't do anything. It was Max who hyper extended my left leg while we were practicing." I told him. Legolas just gave me a confused look.

"She was practicing with a friend of ours, Max. Max did the technique wrong and ended up accidently pulling two of the muscles in Olympia's leg. He felt absolutely awful for it." Kate elaborated.

"So _that's _what happened! I wasn't there when it happened and no one ever told me!" Natalie exclaimed. "You seem to get injured a lot, lassie." Gimli observed. "She does, doesn't she?" Natalie mused.

"It's not just me, I assure you. Kate and Natalie have gotten pretty banged up at times." I defended. Both of the aforementioned people raised eyebrows at me. "Don't give me that look! You know it's true." I told them.

"Yeah. I've had my fair share of bruises and broken bones. My cats used to scratch me all the time when I was playing with them. Apparently, my hair was also their chew toy. I've broken my right ankle, my left arm and a few of my toes." Natalie admitted.

"I've broken my left arm twice and I've broken my right leg." Kate admitted. I remembered all of these instances very well. "We used to give mom and dad heart attacks when we were younger." I said to my sister. "Yeah." She nodded.

"I can understand how a parent would be concerned when their child gets injured." Aragorn agreed. "Uh-huh. Olympia used to scare the living daylights out of everyone because when she would get hurt, she'd get up and say something along the lines of 'I'm fine! I'll be okay!' and then she would try to walk it off…and then promptly fall over and say 'Okay, maybe not.'" Kate explained.

"Only when it was bad. Most of the time I walked it off. Usually it wasn't really bad, so I didn't see why people got so worked up." I added. Natalie rolled her eyes and Kate reached over and ruffled my hair. I glared playfully at her and fixed my hair, humming under my breath again.

Soon we unanimously decided that it was time for lunch. So Natalie and Merry took a field trip to the kitchens and came back with some snack foods like rolls, cheese and apples. After eating, Gimli, Aragorn and Merry all left. Legolas, Kate, Natalie and I went back outside and sat down.

"So, Olympia. Remember how I shared a horse with you on the way back from Isengard?" Natalie asked. "Yeah." I nodded, not quite sure where she was going with this. "Is that your horse?" she asked. "Yeah." I smiled.

"Cool! What's her name?" Natalie asked. Kate smiled. "Her name is Arya. Kate's horse's name is Braylla." I answered. "You named your horse Arya? Like, from the Inheritance Cycle?" Natalie asked. "Yeah." I nodded. "Nerd." she smiled. "And proud of it!" I replied. She and Kate laughed and Legolas looked slightly confused.

"So, what now?" Natalie asked after a moment of awkward silence. I shrugged and leaned my head against Legolas's shoulder. Kate grinned for a moment, got up and ran back inside. Natalie, Legolas and I all stared after her for a moment.

"What exactly is she doing?" Natalie asked. "Why does everyone expect me to know?" I replied. I leaned my head on Legolas's shoulder as we waited for Kate to come back. Eventually, she came running back outside, holding a fiddle and its bow. I bit my lip to keep from bursting into hysterical laughter. Kate started to play the 'Cotton Eye Joe' again.

Natalie got up and started dancing, and Legolas and I just laughed. Eventually, she yanked Legolas and I to our feet and made me start dancing along with her. I continued laughing as we danced and Legolas just watched us. That was only until Kate nudged him towards us and Natalie and I ended up teaching him the dance. When Kate finished the song, I all but collapsed into a fit of laughter.

"What the hell is so funny?" Natalie asked, raising an eyebrow at me as we all sat back down. Kate still had the fiddle in her hands. "You don't remember, do you?" Kate asked, smirking.

"Remember what?" Natalie knit her eyebrows together. Kate smiled and looked over at Legolas and me. I nodded to her. "You got pretty drunk last night, so I borrowed a fiddle from some guy. This guy happens to be the guy whose fiddle I'm borrowing now, but that's not the point. I started playing this. You got up, on a table mind you, and started dancing! Merry and Pippin joined you after they figured out what they were doing. Legolas, Olympia, Aragorn, Gandalf and pretty much anyone sober enough to remember it this morning saw. It was hilarious!" Kate explained all in one breath. She, Legolas and I managed not to laugh until she was finished.

"I don't remember any of that!" Natalie exclaimed. "Well you were drunk when it happened. I didn't expect you to remember it! But trust me, it happened and it was funny." I told her. She Gibbs slapped me.

"So, now what?" Natalie asked after a moment of awkward silence. Kate grinned again. "I know this song is usually played on a guitar, but…yeah. I don't have a guitar." She said, starting to play a familiar tune on her fiddle and giving me a look. "Alright, fine. I'll sing." I smiled and rolled my eyes.

"I walk a lonely road, the only one that I have ever known. Don't know where it goes .But its home to me and I walk alone.  
I walk this empty street, on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams. Where the city sleeps and I'm the only one and I walk alone  
I walk alone I walk alone  
I walk alone I walk a  
My shadow's the only one that walks beside me. My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating Sometimes I wish someone up there will find me. Till then I walk alone.  
Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, aah-ah. Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah  
I'm walking down the line, that divides me somewhere in my mind; on the border line of the edge and where I walk alone.  
Read between the lines, what's fucked up and everything's all right. Check my vital signs to know I'm still alive And I walk alone  
I walk alone I walk alone  
I walk alone I walk a  
My shadow's the only one that walks beside me. My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating. Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me. Till then I walk alone  
Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, aah-ah Ah-ah, ah-ah  
I walk alone I walk a  
I walk this empty street, on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams. Where the city sleeps and I'm the only one and I walk a  
My shadow's the only one that walks beside me. My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating. Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me. Till then I walk alone"

I sang as Natalie hummed the end of the song. Once we had finished, Kate started playing another song on the borrowed fiddle. I almost felt bad for the guy she kept borrowing it from. Eventually, this led to a mini-karaoke party. Legolas wrapped an arm around my shoulders and I leaned my head on his shoulder again. Kate smiled at us.

"Why are you two so damn cute?" Natalie asked. Kate, Legolas, and I all laughed. Natalie eventually joined in. "Why do you think we would know?" I asked after I stopped laughing.

Natalie shrugged and Kate rolled her eyes. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Legolas smirk slightly. I fidgeted so I could see him better and raised an eyebrow. He just smiled at me and kissed my forehead.

"Aww! So cute!" Kate teased. I stuck my tongue out at her. "It's so fluffy I'm gonna die!" Natalie grinned. I just rolled my eyes and Legolas gave me a side-hug. I smiled.

**Author's note: Yeah, fluffiness is fluffy and filler-ness is filler-y. I know. And I have no excuse. READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	37. Of Fourth walls and Feanorian Muses

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT I REFERENCE! FRANCESCA AND NATALIE OWN THEMSELVES RESPECTIVELY! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS! **

This does not technically count as a chapter.

Third person POV

In a small suburban town in America, a teenage girl sat a desk, staring at a blank Microsoft Word document with a miserable and annoyed expression on her face. Meepalicious ran her hands through her dirty blonde hair and clutched the sides of her head, letting out a frustrated groan and giving the computer screen the most annoyed look she could muster.

She hadn't written anything in almost three weeks and it was beginning to annoy her. Then again, it wasn't her fault that she'd been beyond busy lately.

"Shit-take mushrooms!" a boy exclaimed from the desk behind Meep. The girl furrowed her eyebrows and turned her spinny office chair around to give her younger brother an incredulous look. _In the twelve years I have known that child, I've never heard him say that. _Meep mused as she stared at the boy, whose face was buried in the other computer Meep's family owned.

"Shit-take mushrooms?" Meep asked, trying not to snicker. The boy gave no sign that he had actually heard his older sister and continued to mutter at Lord of the Rings Online. Meep rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers in front of the boy's face.

"What the hell was that for?" The boy asked. The boy's brown eyes met the green ones of his sister as he turned to face Meep. At first glance, the two did not appear to be related at all, let alone siblings. Where Meepalicious's hair was dirty blonde, the boy's was dark brown. The boy had a dark complexion, while Meep was pale. The list goes on and on.

"You realize its pronounced shitake mushrooms and not shit-take mushrooms, right Ryan?" Meep asked. Ryan narrowed his eyes at his sister, pausing the game to apparently keep his character from being killed by a troll.

"I know. But Lord of the Rings Online is being a bitch. Don't you have a story to write?" Ryan replied, looking around his sister and at the blank Word document. Meep rolled her eyes at her brother again.

"The muse is being a bitch. I haven't been writing a lot lately because my teachers are bad at planning. They decide, in April, to start cramming for the Regents exams we have to take. They've also decided to give us a ton of other assignments to do. I'm just happy I was able to finish my book!" Meep exclaimed.

"You actually finished 'The Silmarillion'?!" Ryan asked. Meep smiled to herself. She'd finally finished that monster of a book.

"Yes. But now muses have taken up residence in my mind in the forms of Fëanor and his sons. And that's not helping my current story." Meep answered. Ryan raised his eyebrows at Meep in a disturbed and confused expression.

"You've lost your mind." Ryan stated bluntly. Meep raised her eyebrows as well.

"I have not lost my mind! I've got it backed up on a disk somewhere!" Meep replied, pretending to be offended by her brother's response. Both of them started laughing. Ryan went back to his video game and Meep put on some music and continued staring at the blank Word document.

Suddenly, Meep's head snapped up and her expression was one of complete shock. She grinned and the light bulb above her head might as well have been visible, it was so obvious that she had come up with an idea. _Sure, it might be breaking the fourth wall, but if I don't update soon the readers are going to be pissed. Besides, it's still something! _The young authoress thought to herself as she began rapidly typing.

*Olympia's POV*

Natalie, Kate, Gimli, Merry, Aragorn, Legolas and I sat in the room in Rohan that we'd all been sleeping in. It was a weird feeling, not having anything to do at the moment. I leaned against Legolas's shoulder and stared off into space.

"What are we doing?" Merry asked randomly. _Good question. I have no idea. We haven't been doing anything today except for that random karaoke party Natalie, Kate, Legolas and I had earlier. _I thought to myself.

"I don't know. Hey Kate, is it okay if I break the fourth wall?" Natalie responded. Kate's eyes went wide and I think mine popped out of my head. Aragorn, Merry, Gimli and Legolas all looked confused and slightly alarmed.

"Why would you wish to break a wall?" Aragorn asked. Natalie burst out laughing and Kate bit her lip to keep back her laugher. I just grinned to myself.

"I'm not literally going to break a wall." Natalie laughed. Kate shook her head and attempted to stop doing that weird silent-laughing thing.

"Then why would you say you would?" Merry continued. Kate took a deep breath to steady herself, took one look at the stupid grin on my face and started laughing again.

"It's just an expression we use back at home. Breaking the fourth wall is the term we use for when the characters in a story interact, talk to, or speak on behalf of the author of the story. I want to break the fourth wall at the moment and start complaining at the author for not updating for like, three weeks." Natalie explained.

I started laughing at the looks on everyone's faces. I'm guessing Kate didn't have words for that, because she simply Gibbs slapped Natalie. Natalie gave Kate a look and they both chuckled.

"Go ahead, its fine with me." I smiled at my friend. Kate face-palmed and shook her head.

"Alright here goes. Damn it Meep! Get your ass to your computer and start writing stuff again! I don't care how busy you've been! The readers are going to get pissed off at you and come after you with llamas and pitchforks! Write something, anything! Just get something uploaded!" Natalie yelled to the sky.

"Damn it to hell." I added. Natalie nodded and grinned. Kate chuckled again.

"Feel better now? Come on. You know Meep has been a very busy girl lately. We all remember how much Regents exams and those stupid state tests for the teachers sucked. She also has a research paper to write and winter guard Championships coming up. I personally wouldn't blame her for not having time to write for a while. " Kate replied, giving Natalie a 'WTF?' look.

"That doesn't make me feel better." Natalie admitted. I started laughing. Soon enough Kate and Natalie joined in.

"In case anyone's wondering, Meep's only got about half of the next chapter written. I think she'll update by the end of the month." I added.

"Who is Meep?" Merry asked. He looked at the three of us with a very confused expression. I'm going to assume that he didn't understand any of what was going on. I didn't exactly blame him though. Writing fanfiction is hard to understand for those who aren't fanfiction authors.

"What is a llama?" Gimli continued. Kate, Natalie and I dissolved into a new fit of laughter at this. I buried my face in Legolas's shoulder trying to stop laughing.

"Why on earth would people ride these llamas to chase whoever this Meep is?" Legolas finished. By this point, we had stopped laughing and looked at the confused expressions on everyone's faces.

We spent a lot of that day providing Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and Merry with explanations of Regents exams, winter guards, llamas, research papers, and high school in general. I nearly kissed Legolas when he said he thought the tests that were used to supposedly evaluate a teacher's teaching ability were completely pointless.

*Francesca's POV*

Sam, Frodo, Gollum and I had stopped for a rest in the forest we were still travelling in. We had munched on some lembas when we stopped and we were now just resting. I was scribbling something in the dirt with a stick when I felt a chill run down my spine. Something felt off, but as far as I remember, we weren't supposed to run into trouble for some time yet.

Suddenly, it dawned on me. It wasn't the timeline that was off. It was the story itself. Someone was breaking the fourth wall. I rolled my eyes and smiled at the thought of Natale, Kate or Olympia having to explain the fourth wall to the members of the Fellowship that were with them.

Another small chill went down my spine. "I feel a disturbance in the Force." I stated ominously. Sam, Frodo and Gollum all looked at me like I was crazy. I smirked internally.

*Third Person POV*

Eight muses, in the forms of elves, sat around Meepalicious's room. The muses were invisible, even to the author they were annoying. Four of the elves had dark hair, three had red, and one of them was blonde. All of them watched as Meepalicious paced back and forth across the room, muttering to herself.

The elf-muses all watched the young authoress with varying degrees of amusement. The steely grey eyes of all eight elves locked together for a moment. Then, seven pairs of eyes turned to one of the dark haired elves. "I believe we have irritated her enough for the time being. Let us leave her be, for the moment." The Fëanor muse grinned wickedly.

**Author's note: That was really just my clever way of getting around the rule that says authors can't have an Author's Note as a chapter. So, this happened. I'm really sorry that I've been gone so long but I've been swept up in the torrential firestorm that is high school. I've had assignments that needed to be done, research papers and note cards that had to be written and Regents reviews to do. And on top of all of that, ever since I finished 'The Silmarillion' muses in the forms of Fëanor and his sons have taken up residence in my mind, turning everything upside down in the process. Again, I'm really, really sorry about this. I should have another actual chapter up soon. I hope that, at the very least, this made you crack a smile and know that I am indeed alive. READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	38. Chapter 38

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT I REFERENCE! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES RESPECTIVELY! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS!**

Chapter Thirty Seven

Francesca's POV

Gollum eventually led us to a wall in front of Minas Morgul. We all looked over the wall at the city, and I was terrified. The city itself was enormous and looked very threatening. There seemed to be an eerie blue-green light about it. The path leading into the city itself was empty of any and all forms of life and the gates at the end of that path were blacker than black. I shuddered.

"The Dead City. Very nasty place; full of, enemies." Gollum told us as we stared. _Hmm. Full of enemies? You don't say! The Dead City seems like a fitting name though. _I thought. Gollum then hopped the wall and started towards the front of the city. Sam and I followed him to the rocky stair on the other side of the path. Frodo, however, stopped and stared up at one of the giant gargoyles that stood in front of the gates.

"Hurry, hurry. They will see. They will see!" Gollum hissed at us. At this point, he noticed Frodo staring at the gargoyles. "Come away, come away. Look, we have found it. The way into Mordor. The secret stair. Climb." Gollum ordered us. I looked up the stone stairs in front of us and gulped. The large staircase was built into the side of the mountain and it looked very steep. _And we're climbing that?! Fun…_I thought.

Sam and I started to climb the stairs. I stopped mid-step when I saw what Frodo was doing. He was stumbling towards the gates of Minas Morgul as if he were in a trance. One hand was clutching his chest where I knew the Ring hung from its chain. Sam saw this too, and his eyes widened.

"No! Mr. Frodo!" he yelled. "Not that way!" Gollum shrieked. We all came to the unanimous agreement of running to Frodo to stop him. Sam grabbed one of Frodo's arms, I grabbed his shoulder, and Gollum tried to yank his arm.

"What's it doing?!" Gollum yelled as we tried to pull Frodo away. "They're calling me." He responded calmly. We struggled with Frodo for a moment before there was a bright flash of light and the ground started to shake beneath us. We all collapsed on the ground as an enormous signal went up from Minas Morgul. Frodo clutched his shoulder.

We all scrambled back to the stairs and his behind a large piece of rock at the base of the steps. I stared at the bright, towering signal. Whatever hope we'd had at passing by Minas Morgul unnoticed had just gone up in flames. Wonderful. One of those giant evil, dragon-type beasts rose up from the city and roared, perching itself on top of one of the buildings. My eyes widened as I saw the Witch King of Angmar sitting on top of the beast.

Frodo collapsed, clutching his shoulder and groaning in agony. The beast roared again and the Nazgûl let out a piercing screech. I grimaced and covered my ears with my hands, trying to block out the scream.

"I can feel his blade." Frodo groaned and clutched his shoulder again. Suddenly the gates of Minas Morgul opened up. I watched in horror as an army of orcs came out of the gates. The ground trembled under their marching feet and the Witch King's dragon-beast roared again as it took flight. I flinched slightly as the thing flew overhead.

"Come away Hobbits. We climb. We must climb." Gollum hissed to us. And so we began to climb up the stairs as the armies of Minas Morgul marched towards Gondor below us. I took deep breaths and tried not to think about what would happen if I fell down these stairs. That proved a hard thing to do seeing as the steps were very nearly vertical and climbing them wasn't easy.

After a while, Gollum felt it was safe to start talking again. I groaned internally. I was scared shitless, tired, and quite frankly, fed up with Gollum's bullshit. The last thing I wanted right now was to hear his annoying voice.

"Up, up, up the stairs we go. And then, it's into the tunnel." Gollum stated with an almost cheerful tone. I rolled my eyes and continued climbing.

"Hey, what's in this tunnel?" Sam asked. Gollum looked at him, confused. Suddenly Sam grabbed Gollum and pinned him up against the rock wall. "You listen to me! You listen good and proper. Anything happens to him, and you'll have me to answer to. One sniff that something's not right, one hair that stands up on the back of my neck, it's over. No more slinker, no more stinker; you're gone. Got it? I'm watching you." Sam threatened Gollum. I sort of felt bad about the demonic smirk that threatened to spread across my face as Sam issued that threat. Sam walked off and we continued to climb. I pointed my first two fingers towards my eyes, then at Gollum in that classic 'I'm watching you' gesture.

"What was that about?" Frodo asked as we caught up with him. "Nothing, just clearing something up." Sam answered. Frodo looked slightly suspicious but said nothing as we continued climbing the stone stairway.

*Olympia's POV*

Gimli, Merry, Kate, Natalie, Legolas and I were all gathered in the Golden Hall. We all talked amongst ourselves as King Theoden and some of his men poured over maps, trying to decide what on earth they were going to do next. I leaned against a nearby pillar and stared into space. Kate stood next to me and narrowed her eyes at Theoden.

Suddenly, Aragorn threw open the doors and burst into the Golden Hall. "The beacons of Minas Tirith! The beacons are lit!" he shouted as he rushed up to King Theoden. Everyone stopped whatever they were doing and looked at him. Kate and I glanced at each other. The Battle of Pelennor Fields was rapidly approaching, as was Aragorn's journey through the Paths of the Dead. "Gondor calls for aid." Aragorn stated.

A heavy silence lay over the room for a moment as everyone looked at King Theoden. Most of the looks were surprised and expectant, but Legolas and Kate looked warily at the king. I just raised an eyebrow.

"And Rohan will answer!" King Theoden told Aragorn. "Muster the Rohirrim. Assemble the army at Dunharrow, as many men as can be found. You have two days. On the third, we ride for Gondor…and war." King Theoden told Éomer as he left the Golden Hall in full armor.

Everyone dispersed soon after that. Kate and I immediately made for the stables to get Arya and Braylla and prepare them for the long ride ahead of us. We then went back to the room where what remained of the Fellowship had been sleeping in and packed up anything that wasn't absolutely necessary for the next two days.

After that, there wasn't much else to do. We started wandering around with Natalie. I bit my lip and held on to Kate's arm seeing as she was paying attention to where we were going and I wasn't. I mentally battled with myself about what we were going to do. Would we go with Aragorn through the Paths of the Dead or would we stay with the Rohirrim? Would we all even stay together again? Somehow I doubted that Kate, Natalie and I would all end up taking the same path to Minas Tirith.

Eventually, Kate led us back into the Golden Hall. Natalie and Kate sat down with Gimli and Merry. Aragorn wasn't there at the moment as he was probably preparing to ride for Gondor. I walked over to Legolas and stood next to him.

"Hi." I managed a small smile up at him. "Hello, Olympia." He returned my smile and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I shuffled closer to him and leaned my head on his shoulder. We were silent for a moment seeing as I was still deep in thought.

"Something troubles you, meleth nîn. What is wrong?" Legolas asked. "How is it that you always know when something's bugging me?" I raised an eyebrow at him. Legolas chuckled.

"I'm scared, Legolas." I whispered to him. Legolas nodded. "As am I. It will not be easy to defend Minas Tirith from the forces of the Enemy. But I have hope that everything will turn out in our favor." Legolas told me. I smiled and gave Legolas a side-hug.

"Thank you, Legolas. I feel a bit better now." I mumbled. "I am glad I could make you feel better." He told me. Legolas then turned my chin up so I could see his face. "I love you." he whispered to me. "I love you too." I smiled. I gave him a quick kiss before we walked over to join Kate, Natalie, Gimli and Merry at the table they were currently occupying.

~~~~~meep~~~~~meep~~~~~meep~~~~~

Two days passed far too quickly for my liking. Kate and I were soon in the stables again getting our horses. The stables were obviously crowded, so Kate and I decided to go outside to get Arya and Braylla ready to go. As we were finishing up, Eowyn led her horse past us. Kate stopped her.

"Are you coming with us?" she asked. "I will only ride with you to the encampment. It's tradition for the women of the court to farewell the men." Eowyn explained. Kate nodded. I narrowed my eyes at Eowyn's horse and saw the sword partially hidden beneath the blankets. I walked over and pulled the blankets over the sword to hide it better and smirked at her.

"If you're only supposedly going as far as the encampment, it's best no one see this." Kate smirked too, gesturing towards the sword. Eowyn's eyes widened and she nodded in thanks. She then looked suspiciously at the both of us.

"Do not tell anyone." She told us. I put my right hand on my heart and held my left one up. "I promise that I won't tell anyone that you are planning to join us in battle." I whispered to her.

"I promise that your secret is safe with me Eowyn. However, I am going to make you promise to stay as safe as you possibly can." Kate stated. Eowyn nodded. "I will try. Promise me you two will try not to get injured." She pinned me with a stern look as she said that last part. Eowyn had known about the injuries I had received and probably didn't want to see me in the Healing Houses ever again. I didn't blame her for that; I'd nearly given her a heart attack in addition to scaring the daylights out of my other friends.

"I promise." Kate and I said in unison. Eowyn smiled and headed in Aragorn's direction. I glanced at Kate and after a moment we both started chuckling. "You realize she's about to repeat the first part of that conversation with him, right?" I asked.

"I just wanted her to know that we know." Kate laughed. I smirked and rolled my eyes. We soon mounted our horses and rode to where the others were gathering. I rode up next to Legolas and Gimli, who were both riding Arod. Legolas smiled at me. I smiled back and Kate mouthed 'So cute!' to me. I stuck my tongue out at her.

Natalie soon came over to us and I helped her up onto Arya behind me. She had elected to share a horse with either Kate or me seeing as she didn't know how to ride either and needed some help. I told her she could ride with me. This had caused Kate to burst out laughing and recount my misadventures in learning how to ride a horse.

"Horse men! I wish I could muster an army of Dwarves, fully armed and filthy." Gimli stated. I'm going to assume Natalie made a face, seeing as Kate looked at her and rolled her eyes. "Your kinsmen may have no need to ride to war. I fear war already marches on their own lands." Legolas replied.

"Now is the hour, Riders of Rohan. Oaths you have taken. Now fulfill them all, to Lord and Land!" Éomer shouted to the Rohirrim. And with that, the Riders of Rohan, three Elves, a young woman, a future king, a Dwarf and a Hobbit, galloped towards Minas Tirith.

"So, what happens now? I've never seen the last movie." Natalie whispered to me, a while into the ride. "All we really do now is fight. After the Battle of Pelennor Fields, which is where we're going now, we'll have the Battle at the Black Gates. That's the last battle. Then Aragorn is crowned King of Gondor and Arnor and everyone lives happily ever after as far as we know. Four years from now, give or take a few months, Frodo will sail to Valinor with Gandalf, Lord Elrond and Lady Galadriel." I whispered back.

"So, we're in the home stretch aren't we?" Natalie asked. "More or less." I answered. "What do you think you're going to do once this is all said and done?" she continued.

"Go back to Mirkwood with Legolas. What are you going to do?" I replied. "I'm probably going to stay in Gondor. I've got a feeling Francesca's going to go to the Shire with the hobbits, considering she is one now." Natalie answered. I nodded. "Hey Kate! Come here!" I beckoned my sister, who was a little ways ahead of us. Kate slowed Braylla down and rode up next to me.

"What's up?" she asked. "We were talking about what we're going to do after this is all over. What do you plan on doing?" I asked in response. "Hmm. I'm going to make sure you get to Mirkwood safely. Then, I kinda really want to see Rivendell. I don't know whether I'll stay there permanently or not though." Kate replied.

"How did you know I was going to Mirkwood?" I raised my eyebrows at my sister. "Because I know you Olympia. And I know that you and Legolas are going to stay together." She answered with a smile. She then looked at Natalie and her smile got wider. I'm going to say that she could practically see the light bulb above Natalie's head.

"Do you think they'll get married?" Natalie asked. I blushed furiously and threw an elbow into Natalie's ribs. Kate was positively grinning. "Probably." She replied. I gave my sister a look that said 'Screw you.' Both Natalie and Kate chuckled at this and we continued riding.

**Author's note: I'm alive! I feel really bad about being gone for so long, but…shit happened? But anyway, I'm back now and I'll try not to make you wait a whole freaking month anymore. READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	39. Chapter 39

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTHING THAT I REFERENCE! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES RESPECTIVELY! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS!**

Chapter Thirty Eight

Francesca's POV

I couldn't keep track of time anymore. It was all the same so close to Mordor. It could have been hours or it could have been only a few minutes. Gollum, Frodo, Sam and I continued to climb up the stairs of Cirith Ungol. I tried to ignore my aching feet, but was failing epically.

I made the mistake of looking down. We were very, very high up. Far below us, I could still see the weird blue-ish green light that issued from Minas Morgul. I felt my eyes go wide and a lump form in my throat. I was terrified of heights. I gulped, shook my head slightly, and continued climbing.

Frodo and Gollum had been climbing above Sam and me when suddenly Frodo yelped. Both my head and Sam's head snapped up to see Frodo lose his footing and stumble down a bit. Sam gasped and started to help him, but Frodo righted himself before he could fall far.

"Careful master! Careful! Very far to fall. Very dangerous on the stairs." Gollum warned from somewhere above me. I craned my neck and saw that there was a small platform not far above where we were climbing. "Come master." I heard Gollum saying as Frodo struggled to get himself up on the platform. "Come to Sméagol." He said. I furrowed my eyebrows. Gollum's voice had taken on a sinister and creepy tone as he said that last part.

Gollum's eyes went wide and he reached a hand out towards Frodo. _Trying to get his hands on the Ring, no doubt. Holy shit I sound like Sam. _I thought to myself. I narrowed my eyes and slowly took out my short sword. Sam must have seen this exchange too, because he drew his sword. I nodded to him and held my sword tightly. My knuckles turned white, but I couldn't have cared less at the time.

"Mr. Frodo!" Sam yelled. "Get back you! Don't touch him!" Sam shouted to Gollum. I held my sword up towards Gollum and attempted to glare threateningly at him. Gollum made a face, then grabbed Frodo's wrist and pulled him up onto the rock platform. I put my sword away and glared at Gollum. Sam huffed. I patted his shoulder.

"I saw it too. He was trying to get the Ring from Frodo." I whispered to Sam. Sam nodded and looked a little upset and conflicted; like he wanted to do something, he just didn't know what he could do that wouldn't piss off Frodo at this point.

"Why does they hates poor Sméagol? What has Sméagol ever done to them? Master?" Gollum complained, moving over to Frodo, who was lying on the ground breathing heavily. "Master carries a heavy burden, Sméagol knows. Heavy, heavy burden. Fat one cannot know." Gollum continued. He then leaned closer to Frodo and whispered something that I couldn't hear.

Sam and I stumbled up to the platform. Frodo was sitting against the rock wall, staring into nothingness. Sam and I flopped down nearby. Gollum glared at us. I folded my arms on my knees and rested my head on them. For the first time in a long time, I thought about home and Earth.

_What's happening back there? What happened to us? Do they think we're dead, or missing? Or has time stopped altogether? I miss my family and technology, but not much else. I didn't have any really good friends other than Kate, Olympia and Natalie. Everyone at school was an asshole. People in Middle Earth are much nicer as far as I'm concerned. _I thought to myself.

"Miss Francesca?" Sam shook my shoulders a little. I looked up at him.

"Yeah Sam?" I asked. He held a small piece of lembas out to me. I smiled and munched on it.

"I thought you'd dropped off and I thought you might be a bit hungry." Sam told me.

"Thanks. I wasn't asleep though. I don't think I'll be able to sleep in this place. It's just so…..unsettling. It makes me feel like we're always being watched. I was just thinking." I explained. Sam nodded.

"What were you thinking about?" he asked.

"I was thinking about my home and my friends. I accidently dug up some not so nice memories." I answered.

"What happened? If you don't mind me asking, of course." Sam inquired. I finished up my last piece of lembas and took a deep breath.

"When I think of home, I usually think about school. It wasn't exactly a fun place for me. Olympia and I used to go to the same school, but Natalie went to a different school because we lived in different towns. People used to tease me and make fun of me and my friends a lot." I started, eye twitching at the memories.

"Why did folks tease you?" Sam asked. I sighed.

"Truthfully, I don't know. Olympia used to get really mad. You know how she feels about others bothering people she loves. We used to sit together with three other friends on our lunch break. Sometimes other kids from other tables would throw things at us and I swear you could see the fire ignite in her eyes. It got to all of us. We would usually ignore it and crack jokes to make each other feel better. Most of the time the people throwing stuff missed and we never got actually hurt. Olympia would decide to be the sarcastic little bugger she is and yell 'You missed!' at them. Either that or she would catch whatever they threw at us. Once, they threw an apple. Olympia caught it and took a huge bite out of it. We all laughed when that happened. People are cruel. And stupid." I stated.

"I'm sorry people used to hurt you like that, Miss Francesca. I don't see why someone would tease you. You're a good, kind, respectable Hobbit." Sam told me. I smiled.

"Thanks. I shouldn't have said that. Not _everyone's_ a moron. There was one time that one of the kids actually hit me in the head with something. I started crying, but I tried not to let anyone see the tears. Of course, that plan failed. Olympia got so _pissed. _She picked up whatever the kid threw and threw it right back at the person. Then of course the kid came over to our table and started yelling at Olympia. I think she actually cried when that happened. But she didn't yell when she argued back. I think that scared the kid more than her yelling would have. It scared me. After a teacher came and broke up the verbal fight, Olympia took me to the nurse. When Natalie heard about it, she was really pissed off too. She and Kate asked if Olympia beat the kid up. Both Olympia and the kid who threw something at me got in trouble." I told Sam.

"I can't imagine Miss Olympia and Miss Natalie getting so upset. Did you get hurt badly?" Sam asked, looking concerned.

"Not badly. I had a bump on my head for a few days though. Olympia, Kate and Natalie all fumed over it for a long time after that though." I replied. Sam nodded. Eventually, we all decided that we should get to sleep. We had a long day of rock climbing ahead of us.

~~~~~meep~~~~~meep~~~~~meep~~~~~

I woke up a bit later and heard rustling sounds. I opened my eyes and saw Gollum, crumbling lembas over Sam's sleeping form. _That scheming, sneaky, schizophrenic son of a bitch! _I thought. Gollum moved away from Sam and I quickly shut my eyes and pretended to be sleeping.

Gollum must not have noticed. A second later I heard lembas crumbling and felt crumbs on my cloak. _If it wouldn't fuck up the plotline, I'd kill him now and be done with it. _I thought. Suddenly Sam woke up and looked at Gollum.

"What are you up to?" Sam asked, getting up. I stood too and walked to Gollum.

"Sneaking off, are we?" I continued, glaring daggers at Gollum. Sam glanced at me as if to say 'I was going to say that!'

"Sneaking? Sneaking?! Fat Hobbit and girl Hobbit are always so polite. Sméagol shows them secret ways that nobody else could find, and they say 'sneak'! Sneak? Very nice friend, oh yes my precious, very nice! Very nice!" Gollum ranted at us. I rolled my eyes.

"Alright, alright! You just startled me is all. What were you doing?" Sam replied, looking over the side of the cliff we stood on. Gollum gave him a look that I didn't like one bit. Granted, I didn't like any of Gollum's looks, but this one was particularly creepy.

"Sneaking." Gollum answered. _Little shit. _I swore internally.

"Fine, have it your own way." Sam said, walking over to where Frodo was still asleep. I walked over to my pack and quickly checked to see if I had any of my lembas left. I still had some. It wasn't much, but it would keep us alive. "I'm sorry to wake you Mir. Frodo, but we have to be moving on." Sam gently shook Frodo awake.

"It's dark still." Frodo stated as he slowly woke up. I laughed dryly.

"It's always dark here." I told him. Sam knelt down by his pack and began searching through it.

"It's gone! The elven bread!" He exclaimed, looking up at Frodo.

"What? That's all we have left!" Frodo responded. Sam looked up at Gollum, who was perched on a rock trying to look nonchalant about the fact that he took it.

"He took it! He must have!" Sam concluded, staring at Gollum.

"Sméagol? No, no. Not poor Sméagol. Sméagol hates nasty elf bread." Gollum defended. Frodo looked between the two of them.

"You're a lying rat! What did you do with it?" Sam yelled.

"He doesn't eat it. He can't have taken it." Frodo argued, standing up.

"Look. What's this?" Gollum asked, brushing crumbs off mine and Sam's cloaks. "Crumbs on their jacketses. They took it! They took it!" Gollum exclaimed, pointing at Sam and me. Gollum jumped off his rock perch and landed in front of Frodo. "I've seen them. They're always stuffing their faces when Master's not looking." Gollum lied.

"That's a filthy lie! You stinking two-faced sneak!" Sam shouted. Sam then hit Gollum across the face and started punching him. _Damn! _I thought. I bit my lip and watched, frozen in horror at the sight of Sam, of all people, beating up on Gollum.

"Sam! Stop it!" Frodo yelled. Frodo and I rushed forward to pull Sam off of Gollum.

"I'll kill him!" Sam shouted as Frodo and I struggled to hold him back.

"Sam, no!" Frodo told him. All of a sudden, Frodo collapsed and fell to the ground. Sam and I knelt down next to him.

"Oh my. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it to go that far. I was just so, so angry! Here, just….let's just rest a bit." Sam apologized.

"No, I'm alright." Frodo replied. I bit my lip.

"No you're not. You need to rest. Frodo Baggins, you are definitely not alright at the moment. You're exhausted." I told him.

"It's that Gollum. It's this place. It's that thing around your neck. I could help a bit. I could carry it for a while; share the load." Sam stated.

"Get away!" Frodo shouted, shoving Sam and I away from him.

"I don't want to keep it! I just want to help!" Sam told Frodo. Frodo backed away and eyed us both suspiciously.

"See? See? He wants it for himself." Gollum told Frodo. I glared at him. _You lying, sneaking, bastard. _I thought.

"Shut up you! Go away! Get out of here!" Sam shouted, getting up. He was crying now. I felt tears in my eyes too, but I didn't say anything.

"No Sam! It's you! I'm sorry Sam." Frodo responded. I bit back a sob and chomped down on my lip.

"But he's a liar!" Sam's voice cracked. "He's poisoned you against me." He replied.

"You can't help me anymore." Frodo told us calmly. Tears slid down my face and I wiped them angrily on my sleeves.

"You don't mean that." Sam stated.

"Go home." Frodo told him. Sam backed away and sat down, crying. Frodo turned away and left. Gollum followed, sneering at Sam and me as he passed us. I gave Gollum the finger and broke down soon after. Neither of us said anything for a long time. We both just cried. Gollum had control over Frodo at the moment, Sam and I were on our own, and I still had no idea how my friends were.

"What are we going to do now, Sam?" I choked.

**Author's note: Well, there you have it. READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	40. Chapter 40

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT I REFERENCE! NATALIE AND FRANCESCXA OWN THEMSELVES RESPECTIVELY! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS!**

Chapter Thirty Nine

Olympia's POV

It was a long and very uneventful ride to Dunharrow. So naturally, I was relieved when we rode into the camp with King Theoden a few days after leaving Edoras. Everyone stopped and stared as we rode into camp and I was reminded of when Gimli, Aragorn, Legolas, Kate, Gandalf and I first arrived in Rohan. I fidgeted in the saddle. Have I mentioned that I hate being the center of attention?

"Grimbold, how many?" King Theoden asked as we rode through the camp.

"I bring five hundred men from the Westfold, my lord." One of the soldiers answered.

"We have three hundred more from Fenmarch, Theoden King." Another soldier stated.

"This. Is. Sparta!" Natalie whispered in my ear. I bit back a laugh and nudged her with my elbow.

"Where are the riders from Snowbourn?" King Theoden asked.

"None have come, my lord." Someone stated. _That doesn't sound good. _I thought.

We then rode into camp and began to unpack our horses. As we moved around the camp, I felt everyone's confused stares on Natalie, Kate, Legolas, Gimli and I. I rolled my eyes and ignored them. _It's like they've never seen Elves before! Granted, they probably haven't seen Elves, let alone Dwarves, before. But still! I don't like the staring. _I thought, shifting uncomfortably.

After unpacking, we didn't have anything to do, so Kate, Legolas, Gimli and I just wandered around. Natalie had elected to stay behind and set up our stuff in the tents we were being lent. I noticed several horses getting a bit antsy and nervous and that the men were having trouble calming them down.

"The horses are restless, and the men are quiet." Legolas observed as we came up to Éomer, who was saddling his own horse.

"They grow nervous in the shadow of the mountain." Éomer replied, nodding towards a path that led into the mountains nearby. _The Paths of the Dead. _I thought, shuddering internally. _No wonder the horses are flipping out. _

"That road there. Where does that lead?" Gimli asked, nodding towards the path.

"It is the road to the Dimholt, the door under the mountain." Legolas answered.

"None who venture there ever return." Éomer added, looking back from the mountain to us. "That mountain is evil." He concluded, walking away.

After making a failed attempt at calming our own horses down, Legolas, Kate and I all went back to the tents the Rohirrim were lending us. Legolas and Gimli were sharing one, Aragorn had one to himself somewhere, and Kate, Natalie and I were sharing a third.

Kate and I walked into our tent and found Natalie there, sitting on her blanket and staring off into space. Her eyes were red and puffy and she had a faraway look in her eyes. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she'd been crying. Kate and I exchanged worried looks and went to sit on either side of our friend. Natalie sniffled and wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Kate asked. Natalie jumped slightly upon realizing we were there. She sniffled again.

"Nothing." She assured us. Her voice cracked and I arched an eyebrow at her.

"You want to rephrase that line of crap?" I asked. Natalie laughed humorlessly.

"Now, what's wrong? Really this time." Kate pressed. Natalie didn't give a verbal answer. She curled up and started to cry. Seeing my friend like this, I think my heart shattered into a million pieces. I looked at Kate and saw in her eyes the same realization and sorrow that I felt. We nodded to each other and wrapped Natalie up in a hug. I bit my lip in an attempt to stop my own tears from falling.

"Shh. It's okay Natalie. You'll be alright." Kate whispered. Natalie sniffled.

"I miss Boromir." She hiccupped. Her voice sounded small and broken. It was so unlike her to be that way. Normally she was such a strong, confident person.

No amount of chomping on my lip or sheer force of willpower could have stopped the tears in that moment. I cried. Not only did I cry for Boromir's death, but I cried for my friend who had fallen in love with him. He hadn't deserved to die, and Natalie didn't deserve the hell it was putting her through.

"I'm going to go get us some food, okay?" I eventually found my voice again. Natalie nodded and sniffled. I got up and quickly went outside to find some food. I wiped my tears on my sleeve and accidently bumped into Legolas.

"Sorry." I gave him a weak smile.

"It is alright. Olympia, what is wrong?" Legolas asked, probably taking note of the fact that my eyes were now red and puffy.

"Natalie's not doing too well at the moment. She misses Boromir and had a meltdown just now. I'm going to get her some food and Kate and I are going to try to make her feel better." I whispered to Legolas. Legolas gave me a hug.

"You are a good friend for being there for Natalie now, when she needs you." Legolas told me. I forced another smile.

"Thanks." I replied, letting go and heading towards Eowyn, seeing as she was cooking some food. She gave me three bowls of stew and I gave her the Reader's Digest version of what was happening. Then I went back to our tent, where Natalie was still sniffling. I gave her and Kate the food and sat down.

"Here, eat. You need it." I told her. Natalie forced a small smile and started eating her food.

Natalie, Kate and I talked for a while afterwards. Natalie eventually fell asleep and Kate and I went outside for some air. We wandered to the edge of the camp and looked down over the surrounding area where the rest of the army was asleep. There were a couple of guards on duty doing the same thing. Kate and I just nodded to them.

"Do you think she's going to be okay?" I asked my sister. Kate looked at me and nodded.

"Natalie will be fine, eventually. She'll get better someday. Someday she'll be able to look back at her, very short, time with Boromir and smile instead of cry. All of us will." Kate told me. I sniffled.

"And, you believe that?" I asked. Kate gave me a one-armed side hug.

"I have to. Otherwise I'll have a meltdown too. But yes, I believe that we'll all be able to handle whatever grief this world throws at us and that everything will get better in time." My sister stated, staring into the night. "You gotta keep the faith." She gave me a ghost of a smile. _That sounds like something our mother would say. _I thought.

"Kate, you're starting to sound like Mom." I whispered. Kate let out a choked sob. We'd always been close to our parents. I hugged Kate and she started to cry. I just hugged her tighter.

"I'm going to steal a quote off the internet now, Kate. True strength is keeping it together when everyone would understand if you fell apart. You've been so strong for Natalie and Francesca and me. You were there to pull us back together after Gandalf and Boromir died. It's okay to cry, sis. I miss mom and dad too." My voice cracked a bit. My sister and I stood there for a long time. Sure, it was late and we should probably have been getting some rest, but neither of us cared at that moment.

After a while, I saw a horse and rider coming up the trail to our camp and pointed him out to Kate.

"I think you and I both know who that is." I nodded towards the figure. Kate nodded.

"It's Lord Elrond." Kate stated.

"Or, if we're using Francesca's version….." I trailed off, smirking slightly at the memory.

"Don't go there." Kate warned, also smirking just a tiny bit.

"Lord Eyebrows." I grinned.

"And you went there." Kate sighed. A few minutes later, the guards noticed Lord Elrond riding towards our camp and hurried off to go wake up King Theoden, and later Aragorn. Kate and I shared a look, then rushed back to our tent. Both of us began to pack up as quickly and quietly as we could.

"What are we going to do about Natalie?" I asked as I put my cloak on and shouldered my pack.

"She's going to have to stay here. I don't think either of us wants her going through the Paths of the Dead. She's always hated that part of the movie." Kate replied. I nodded.

"And she'll have Eowyn. I have a feeling they're going to be good friends." I stated. Kate nodded and we left the tent. We quietly made our way over to Braylla and Arya and prepared them for the ride through the Dimholt road. A moment later, Legolas came over to get Arod. The three of us led our horses through the camp, where we found Gimli and Aragorn talking.

"Just where do you think you're off to?" Gimli asked, standing up from the barrel he'd been sitting on.

"Not this time. This time you must stay Gimli." Aragorn answered. Gimli hummed thoughtfully and looked down at the ground. Kate, Legolas and I walked up beside Aragorn, leading our horses.

"Have you learnt nothing of the stubbornness of Dwarves?" Legolas asked, smirking. Aragorn turned around and stared at us.

"You might as well accept it. We're going with you laddie." Gimli stated. Aragorn smiled. We mounted our horses and started towards the Dimholt road.

A murmur ran through the people in camp as we rode out. My heart clenched painfully when I watched Natalie get out of the tent we'd shared to see what was happening. I locked eyes with Natalie for a moment. She nodded in understanding and gave me a half-hearted smile._ I'm lucky I have such good friends .I didn't even say good-bye. _I thought to myself, feeling absolutely terrible for it.

"Lord Aragorn!" Someone called after him as we left camp and started along the Dimholt road. I forced myself not to look back. Had I looked back and seen Natalie's face, I would have turned around and stayed with her. I'm certain Kate would have too.

Soon, we found ourselves on a path at the bottom of a dry, barren canyon. The wind howled among the rocks and I shuddered involuntarily.

"What kind of army would linger in such a place?" Gimli asked.

"One that is cursed. Long ago the men of the mountains swore an oath to the last King of Gondor; to come to his aid, to fight. But when the time came, when Gondor's need was dire, they fled; vanishing into the darkness of the mountain. And so Isildur cursed them, never to rest until they had fulfilled their pledge. Who shall call them from the grey twilight, the forgotten people? The heir of him to whom the oath they swore. From the North shall he come, need shall drive him. He shall pass the door to the Paths of the Dead." Legolas explained.

After a while of riding, we were forced to dismount our horses and walk the rest of the way. Barren, grey trees grew on either side of the road and the sun was blocked out by the rocks overhead.

"The very warmth of my blood seems stolen away." Gimli commented. Soon, we came to the entrance to the Paths of the Dead. There was some kind of inscription above the entrance.

"The way is shut. It was made by those who are dead, and the dead keep it. The way is shut." Legolas read the inscription.

Suddenly, a cold wind that carried what seemed like smoke blew out of the entrance. I shuddered and the horses were spooked. They ran off whinnying in fright, with all of our stuff still on their backs. Aragorn yelled after his horse, but it was no use.

"I do not fear death." Aragorn stated and walked through the doors. Legolas ran after him a moment later. Kate and I shared a look.

"If I remembered the exact quote from the book, I'd be using it now. I think it goes something like 'I do not fear those that are dead'." Kate stated as we followed Aragorn and Legolas.

"Well this is a thing unheard of! An elf will go underground, where a dwarf dare not. Oh. Oh, I'd never hear the end of it!" I heard Gimli saying behind us as we ran.

"No, no you wouldn't." Kate muttered.

*Natalie's POV*

A little while after Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Kate and Olympia left, I went to go find Eowyn. I knew that the next morning we would be leaving for Minas Tirith. I knew Eowyn would be masquerading as a guy to fight and I also knew that there was no way in hell I was getting left behind. I had asked someone where Eowyn's tent was and stood outside, debating whether or not to go in.

"Eowyn?" I asked.

"Lady Natalie, is it you?" she asked.

"Yes. I need to talk to you. Can I come in?" I replied.

"Of course you may!" Eowyn responded.

I opened the flap of the tent and went inside. I found that Eowyn had been preparing the stuff she'd brought to fight. I just watched for a moment.

"What did you wish to speak of, Lady Natalie?" Eowyn asked. I internally cringed when she put 'Lady' in front of my name.

"A few things, actually. First, please don't call me 'Lady'. Second, I want to fight and I am _not _getting left behind when they leave. I was wondering if you could help me disguise myself as a guy so I could go with them. I now know that you had the same idea." I told her, looking pointedly at the stuff she'd been preparing when I came in. Eowyn smiled at me.

"I would be glad to help you prepare for battle. I believe I can find some armor for you that would fit." She replied.

"I owe you for this. Big time." I said.

"Nonsense. Wait here and I will be back soon." Eowyn told me as she left to go find some armor to fit me. She came back quickly and together we prepared for battle. Eowyn had even found a spare horse for me to ride. This should be interesting.

**Author's note: Meep! I have nothing really to say here other than the next chapter will contain the whole Paths of the Dead scene…READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	41. Chapter 41

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT I REFERENCE! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES RESPECTIVELY! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS! **

Chapter Forty

Natalie's POV

A little while later found Eowyn, me, and the Riders of Rohan breaking camp to ride for Minas Tirith. Eowyn and I were dressed in our borrowed armor and had tucked our hair into it to better pass for guys. I felt like Mulan.

Both of us had mounted our horses and were preparing to leave when I spotted Merry talking to King Theoden. Whatever had been said, Merry seemed upset over it and stood there as the other riders maneuvered around him. I nudged Eowyn as we rode towards him. She nodded and as we passed, she hoisted him up onto her horse.

"Ride with me." She whispered to him.

"My lady." Merry whispered back, grinning. I rode up next to Merry.

"Glad you're coming." I whispered.

"Natalie?" he asked.

"Who else would it be?" I retorted, smiling at my friend. From where Eowyn, Merry and I rode I was able to hear Éomer and King Theoden yelling to the other soldiers to basically hurry the hell up. I unconsciously started humming 'I'll make a man out of you' from Mulan under my breath, changing the words around to fit the situation. _Let's get down to business, to defeat the orcs. No! There will be no musical numbers here! _

*Olympia's POV*

Aragorn led us through the Paths of the Dead by torchlight. It was eerily silent and that put everyone on edge. I walked next to Legolas and everyone looked around warily. Aragorn held the torch out in front of him to look down a pathway on our right. A moment later he turned away when he saw human skulls on the ground.

Legolas stayed at the entrance to the pathway and looked down it. I stood next to him and saw through the darkness the ghosts of the dead we were here to summon. Chills ran down my spine. I looked over at my sister. 'I see dead people.' I mouthed to her. 'Me too.' She mouthed back.

"What is it? What do you see?" Gimli asked. Apparently he couldn't see the dead people. _Hmm. That's weird. Why only Kate, Legolas and me? Maybe it's just an elf thing…._I wondered.

"I see shapes of men, and of horses." Legolas answered as we continued walking. I nodded slowly and watched the dead people.

"Where?" Gimli asked nervously.

"Pale banners like shreds of cloud. Spears rise like winter thickets through a shroud of mist. The dead are following. They have been summoned." Legolas replied.

"The dead? Summoned? I knew that." Gimli replied and attempted to laugh off the fact that he was scared out of his mind. "Very good. Very good. Legolas!" he called when he realized that A) he had stopped and B) we had moved on without him.

Ghostly hands then began to materialize and reach towards us. I shuddered and turned away. Gimli waved and puffed frantically, trying to get them off him. Legolas just stared at the ghostly hands. Aragorn ignored them.

"Do not look down." He advised us.

I bit my lip and looked at the back of Legolas's head in an attempt to keep from looking down. Gimli promptly froze and looked down. Kate looked down too. I was forced to when I tripped over something. When I looked, I realized that the aforementioned something had been a human skull. Skulls and bones covered the ground and made an awful crunching noise when we walked.

Aragorn suddenly broke into a run and Legolas, Kate, Gimli and I followed him out of the tunnel we were in and into a huge open space. The space had a massive building in it. We walked towards the building warily. Aragorn stopped at a cliff edge near the front of the building and looked out over the chasm there.

"Who enters my domain?" a raspy voice asked. The voice seemed to echo through the cave-like space. We turned around and the ghostly image of the King of the Dead appeared before us in front of the steps to the building.

"One who will have your allegiance." Aragorn answered.

"The dead do not suffer the living to pass." The King of the Dead answered.

"You will suffer me." Aragorn stated determinedly. The King of the Dead let out a menacing laugh. As he did, many other ghostly buildings appeared on the other side of the chasm we had seen earlier. We all turned to look and saw the dead soldiers come out of the buildings and surround us. They were chanting something that I couldn't quite make out.

"The way is shut. It was made by those who are dead, and the dead keep it. The way is shut! Now you must die!" The King of the Dead exclaimed as more ghostly soldiers appeared and began to advance on us. Legolas fired an arrow at the King of the Dead. Said arrow went straight through him and clattered on the ground. I looked around nervously at the dead soldiers.

"I summon you to fulfill your oath." Aragorn told the King of the Dead, taking a step towards him.

"None but the King of Gondor may command me!" The King of the Dead responded. He limped forward and swung his sword at Aragorn, who blocked it with his own. Apparently, the King of the Dead recognized the sword that once belonged to Isildur.

"That blade was broken." The King of the Dead stated as Aragorn pushed his sword away. Aragorn held his sword the dead king's throat.

"It has been remade." Aragorn told him. With that he pushed the King of the Dead away from him. Aragorn looked around at the army of the dead for a moment. "Fight for us, and regain your honor. What say you?" Aragorn addressed the army. There was no response and the dead soldiers stared at us. Aragorn held his sword out in front of him and walked into the crowd. "What say you?" he asked again.

"Ah, you waste your time Aragorn. They had no honor in life; they have none now in death." Gimli told Aragorn, glaring at the dead army.

"I am Isildur's heir. Fight for me, and I will hold your oaths fulfilled." Aragorn said, completely ignoring Gimli and brandishing his sword at the dead army. "What say you?" he demanded.

The King of the Dead began laughing again and the army began to disappear into thin air.

"You have my word! Fight for me and I will release you from this living death! What say you?!" Aragorn shouted as the army disappeared completely.

"Stand you traitors!" Gimli yelled. Suddenly there was a cracking sound and rock and debris began to fall and the building in front of us crumbled and collapsed. Hundreds of thousands of human skulls fell out of the building as it crumbled. It was like an avalanche of death; quite scary when you think about it.

"Out!" Aragorn shouted to us and we began to make our way towards the exit, trying not to get swept up in the avalanche of skulls. It wasn't working and we soon found ourselves climbing over the skulls to get to the tunnel on the other side of the cave.

Kate yelped as she tripped and nearly fell. I stopped, grabbed her arm and tried to pull her back to her feet. She held my arm in a death grip. We were too close to the edge of the chasm for comfort. Kate's footing faltered and her grip on my arm loosened for a moment. I looked into my older sister's eyes and all I saw was the fear that she would fall. _No. That won't happen. I won't let you die, Kate. Not in this place. _

"Kate don't you dare let go. I am _not _letting you fall." I whispered to her.

I yelled to Legolas for help seeing as he was the closest to me. His eyes widened and he grabbed onto my other arm, somehow managing to pull both me and my sister to our feet. Legolas pushed us ahead of him when we reached the tunnel and began to run.

"Legolas! Run!" Aragorn yelled back to him. We ran through the tunnel as skulls continued to rain down on us. Soon we burst through the exit and into the sunlight and staggered to a stop.

"Are you alright?" I asked Kate once we were out. She was taking shaky breaths and her eyes were slightly unfocused, as if she were mentally miles away.

"I'm fine. How about you?" she replied after a moment. I nodded. We both turned around to see Aragorn fall to his knees. I looked up and saw ships with black sails in a river at the base of the mountain. There was a town burning there. I choked on a sob as I took in the destruction.

My mind's eye went into the burning town and I tried not to think of the devastation the place was suffering. I could faintly hear people screaming from where we stood. Legolas put his hand on Aragorn's shoulder and my sister gave me a side hug. The look on her face told me two things. First, that she was thinking somewhere along the same lines I was. And second, that she could hear the townspeople's screams for help too and wanted badly to do something about it.

Suddenly the wind picked up and sent chills down my spine again. Aragorn stood and turned back towards the mountain. The King of the Dead materialized and walked up to stand face to face with Aragorn.

"We fight." The King of the Dead stated. Aragorn nodded slightly. He, Gimli, Legolas, Kate and I then walked down to the riverbank to intercept the ships. The ships sailed by where the five of us were standing. I could see people moving around on deck. I glared fiercely at them. Kate nudged me with her elbow.

"You're overdoing it." She whispered. I screwed my lip to the side and nodded.

"You may go no further. You will not enter Gondor." Aragorn stated loudly. The people on board began to laugh. Kate tensed beside me and glared at them. I elbowed her lightly.

"Who's overdoing it now?" I asked quietly. My sister narrowed her eyes at me slightly.

"Who are you to deny us passage?" Someone on deck demanded.

"Legolas, fire a warning shot past the boson's ear." Aragorn whispered to Legolas. Legolas took out an arrow and knocked it into his bow.

"Mind your aim." Gimli stated. Gimli nudged the bottom of Legolas's bow with the butt of his axe as Legolas shot the arrow. This messed up the shot and caused Legolas to accidently shoot the guy standing next to the boson. Legolas glared at Gimli.

"Well done, Gimli." I stated sarcastically.

"Oh. That's it, right. We warned you! Prepare to be boarded." Gimli said. The people on the ship laughed.

"Boarded? By you and whose army?" Someone shouted to us.

"This army." Aragorn said simply. The Army of the Dead then appeared and charged towards the ships. I smirked slightly as the Army of the Dead did their thing.

Soon, we found ourselves on the ships, sailing towards Gondor and the Battle of Pelennor Fields. I leaned on the railing of the ship and stared at nothing. Kate came up next to me. Neither of us said anything for a minute. I turned around and hugged her. She hugged me back.

"That's annoying." She muttered more to herself than me.

"What?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

"I can't put my chin on your head anymore. You're too tall." My sister replied. I smiled a little.

"You haven't been able to do that since before Will was born." I retorted. Will was our youngest cousin.

"But Will's only three!" Kate exclaimed.

"I know. I haven't grown much since my freshman year of high school, Kate." I said. Kate Gibbs slapped me.

"I love you too. I'm glad you're okay. I almost lost you in there." I whispered.

"It's okay Olympia. I'm fine. So there's nothing to worry about in that department." Kate whispered. I nodded. After a while, Kate let go of me and left. I wandered around the ship until I found Legolas, who was also staring out at nothing. I went and stood next to him.

"Meep." I said. Legolas smiled slightly and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"Meep to you as well, meleth." Legolas responded. My eyes widened and I stared up at Legolas.

"Did you really just say 'meep'?" I asked, grinning. Legolas grinned in response. I started laughing and hugged him. _That may have just made my life. _"Te amo." I murmured.

"Would I be correct if I assumed that means 'I love you'?" Legolas asked. I laughed.

"Yes, yes you would." I replied.

"I love you as well." Legolas told me. I smiled up at him. He leaned in and kissed me in response. We then continued to watch the shoreline from the railing of the boat. It was a bit like staring out the window of a car when you go somewhere. I started humming to myself.

**Author's note: Two updates in a less than two week time period! What is this? Oh yeah, this is what happens when there's only one week left of school and I have nothing better to do than write and study for finals and Regents. Yep! You all read that right. This upcoming week is my last one of classes, in which I will be taking all my finals. Then next week I only have to go in and take two Regents exams. So, I'm done with school as of June 12****th****. I also just found out that The Hobbit is on my summer reading list for next year. Win! So, anyway… READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


	42. Chapter 42

Of UNO and Thunderstorms

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT I REFERENCE! NATALIE AND FRANCESCA OWN THEMSELVES RESPECTIVELY! I ONLY OWN MYSELF AND MY OCS! **

Chapter Forty One

Francesca's POV

Sam and I had begun to make our way back down the stairs. To my great annoyance, getting down Cirith Ungol without tripping and falling down them was almost as hard as climbing up without falling. Sam and I were still crying and sniffling, Sam much more so than me, as we carefully made our way down the stairs.

Suddenly, Sam lost his balance and fell. I reached out to try and balance him, but ended up falling too. We tumbled and rolled down the stone stairs. Neither of us felt like moving after we stopped and reached the bottom of the stairs.

I groaned and tried to sit up, failing quite miserably. I looked over at Sam, who wasn't doing much better than me. I was going to have bruises everywhere for a while. I then caught sight of something familiar. Beside Sam, there was a crumbled bit of lembas in its leaf wrapping. The same lembas that Gollum had thrown off the stairs when he turned Frodo against us.

I glared at it. As if the lembas itself did anything. Sam picked it up and looked at it for a moment, before crushing the lembas. Sam then turned and looked back up the stairway. I looked too. It was a long climb. _Oh no, don't tell me he's now deciding he wants to go back and save Frodo. Why couldn't we have come to this decision while we were still about halfway up? _Sam and I exchanged looks.

"We're going back for Frodo, aren't we?" I asked.

"Yes, Francesca, we are. We can't rightly leave Mister Frodo with that villain Gollum facing goodness-knows-what." Sam replied. I nodded.

"You didn't call me 'Miss'! Finally!" I realized as Sam and I started to climb back up Cirith Ungol to save Frodo. Though, whether we were saving him from Gollum, or from himself, I wasn't sure.

*Natalie's POV*

The Rohirrim Army had stopped to make camp a little while ago. Eowyn and I had taken off our helmets, but kept our hair tucked into our armor. Somehow, we still passed as guys. King Theoden sent out some scouts to find out if we could see what was happening at Minas Tirith.

I sat down next to Merry and soon Eowyn got some food for the three of us. I smiled slightly and mumbled a 'thank you' before digging into the stew she'd brought for me.

"I feel like Mulan." I muttered. Eowyn and Merry both looked at me weird.

"Who is this Mulan?" Eowyn asked. Merry looked at me curiosly.

"Mulan is the title of a story in my world, set in ancient China. It's also the name of the main character. The story is centered on a woman named Mulan. In the story, she dresses up as a man, joins the army and goes to war for her country in place of her aging father who was injured in a previous war. The fact that I now find myself in a similar situation had me reminiscing on the story. It was one of our favorites."

"Our?" Eowyn furrowed her eyebrows. I nodded.

"Kate, Olympia and Francesca were really big fans of Mulan too." I replied.

"How does the story end?" Merry asked.

"Mulan is eventually found out, but at the end of the story the Emperor of China names her a hero because she saved her country. And then she lives happily ever after." I stated.

"Do you remember the story in its entirety? I would very much like to hear it." Eowyn responded. Merry looked up at me hopefully. I nodded. The following god-only-knows-how-long was spent reciting the entire Disney version of Mulan. Complete with me failing at singing the musical numbers.

"I like this Mulan character. I see a bit of myself in her at times." Eowyn smiled.

"I can understand that." I replied.

"I enjoyed the story." Merry stated.

"Part of me hopes we'll all get a happy ending like that. You know, being a hero and everything." I mused, looking out over the plains we were still on.

Merry was now eating a sandwich seeing as he finished his stew during the story. I saw three men on horses, riding fast towards camp. _That can't be good. _I thought. I nudged Eowyn and we both stood up. I stretched my legs a bit, preparing to get back on the horse I was borrowing. The riders came back and immediately Éomer rode to the king.

"The scouts report Minas Tirith is surrounded. The lower level's in flames. Everywhere, legions of the Enemy advance." Éomer told King Theoden.

"Time is against us. Make ready!" he shouted to the soldiers. I grabbed my helmet off the ground and held it under my arm. Eowyn glanced at Merry.

"Take heart, Merry. It will soon be over." She told him.

"My lady. You are fair and brave and have much to live for, and many who love you. I know it is too late to turn aside. I know there is not much point now in hoping. If I were a knight of Rohan capable of great deeds…but I'm not. I'm a Hobbit. And I know I can't save Middle Earth. I just want to help my friends; Frodo, Sam, Pippin. More than anything I wish I could see them again." Merry stated, smiling. I smiled at both of my friends.

"Prepare to move out!" I heard Éomer shouting.

"Make haste! We ride through the night!" King Theoden added. Then someone started to blow a horn. Merry looked up at Eowyn curiously and Eowyn nodded.

Merry put down his sandwich, picked up his helmet and put it on. Eowyn followed his lead and put her own helmet back on. I took mine out from under my arm, popped a crick in my neck and put it on.

"To battle." Eowyn stated.

"To battle." Merry replied.

"To battle." I said. The three of us then hurried to our horses and clambered onto their backs. Not a moment too soon, apparently, seeing as the second I was on my horse, we took off galloping for Minas Tirith.

*Francesca's POV*

Sam and I climbed for a good majority of the day. When we finally stopped to rest, I randomly remembered where we were in the movie.

_Oh shit! Sam and I are going to have to save Frodo from that giant ass spider thing! Shit! And Natalie and Kate and Olympia are going to fight in Minas Tirith! It doesn't even matter if they went there with Gandalf, or stayed with the Rohirrim or went through the Paths of the Dead! Double, triple and quadruple shit! That also means that we're almost, almost done. We've still got to sneak into Mordor and Frodo needs to destroy the Ring. Natalie, Kate and Olympia still have to fight in Minas Tirith and at the Black Gates. Then Aragorn gets crowned King of Gondor and we're done…Then what? _

I decided it was best to keep these thoughts to myself. One reason being that Sam might have been traumatized by the overuse of the word 'shit' in that thought process. It also wouldn't do Sam any good to start freaking out of he knew what was going to happen. And if he did, he'd probably try to change it, which would completely fuck up everything. A third reason was that I promised Kate and Olympia that I wouldn't purposely fuck up the canon. I'd promised them that in Lothlórien, what felt like forever ago now.

I rummaged through my pack and dug up my lembas. I smiled to myself and gave some to Sam. Sam just looked at me weird.

"Gollum didn't touch my bit of lembas when he turned Frodo against us. So I still have whatever I had left at that point." I explained. Sam's face changed from one of slight surprise, to anger when I mentioned Gollum, to a small smile when he realized we still had a decent amount of food. I smiled and munched on my lembas.

"Sam, could you tell me about the Shire? I feel awkward. You know all about my life, but you never talked much about the Shire." I stated.

"Of course I'll tell you about the Shire, Francesca!" Sam exclaimed. I grinned.

The rest of that day was spent with Sam telling me all about the Shire. I learned that most Hobbits tended to keep to themselves and didn't go on 'adventures'. Apparently, Bilbo was considered quite odd and Gandalf had been labeled as a disturber of the peace.

"Why is Gandalf labeled a disturber of the peace?" I asked.

"I'm not quite sure. I think it's got something to do with the fact that when Gandalf shows up in the Shire, folks end up leaving and going on adventures or wanting to go on adventures." Sam explained. I nodded.

Sam also told countless stories about Gandalf's fireworks, which were famous in the Shire. He also talked a lot about how much trouble Merry and Pippin used to get themselves into. I laughed out loud at a lot of these stories. Sam also talked about Rosie Cotton a lot. I know I really shouldn't have teased him about it, but I did anyway.

"Sam, do like Rosie Cotton?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow

"Of course I like her! She's a good friend!" Sam replied.

"That's not what I meant." I answered.

"What did you mean, then?" Sam asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"I meant to ask if you fancy this girl, Sam." I re-phrased. Sam blushed tomato red and started stuttering over his words.

"Well, I-uh. Uhm. It's…uh…..Yes. Yes, I do. I love her." Sam finally admitted. I smiled.

"Have you told her this yet?" I asked.

"No, no I haven't." Sam whispered.

"Why not?" I continued.

"Well, there's so many other lads that fancy Rosie. I figured she wouldn't notice one like me. I never told her because I was afraid of what she would say." Sam told me. I bit my lip.

"Samwise Gamgee, you need to have a little more self confidence than that. When we get back to the Shire, promise me you'll at least start talking to her. Please." I told him.

"Alright, Francesca. I'll talk to Rosie when we get back to the Shire." Sam replied. I think he sounded a little exasperated as he said it. I beamed at him.

"Good! I think maybe we should get some rest, I think it might be getting late." I responded. Sam nodded in agreement and we set up camp after that. I curled up on my blankets and lay awake for a while. I haven't been able to sleep properly since we got so close to Mordor.

**Author's note: *head-desks* Arrrgh. I don't like the way this chapter ended at all. The muse for this story left me about halfway through and I just completely half-assed the rest. I don't like it but I couldn't think up anything better. *grumbles to self about uncooperative muses* On the other hand, all my other muses are being hyperactive…Damn Fëanorian muses… *grumbles to self some more* Please ignore the fact that I have lost my mind. READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! **


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